


Sittin' a cowboy

by Tiofrean



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Alternative Universe - Cowboys, Alternative Universe - Modern Western, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Blow Jobs, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Idiots in Love, Lurking Cows, M/M, Porn With Plot, Rimming, Smut, Strawberries, cowboy!Daryl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-02 11:21:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 41,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8665624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiofrean/pseuds/Tiofrean
Summary: The one with the wild cowboy, the sheriff bored with his life, and the cows lurking in the distance.





	1. I’m just about starving tonight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MermaidSheenaz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MermaidSheenaz/gifts).



> Let's start with the basics. This fic was born in August. I decided to cheer up my muse, MermaidSheenaz, so I wrote her 82 pages of Cowboy AU... Yes it got a bit out of hand. But I hope everyone will enjoy it nevertheless. I wanted it to be that one fic that brightens up your day, no matter what ruined your mood. There's fluff, there's a bit of humor, there's a bit of dorky Rick, too. And, of course, there's sex. Lots of it. 
> 
> There are no cliffhangers, because I want this fic to be pleasant. The whole fic is already written and will be posted every other day, unless something unexpected happens, then it will be there on the third day. 
> 
> The title comes from an old western expression "sitting a girl" which means "to court a girl". There are other expressions and wisdoms in the fic, there will also be pictures attached later on. Betaed by Sheenaz ;) 
> 
> That's all. And now, enjoy the fic!

Rick looked around himself before he stepped out of his cruiser to open the ranch gates. The entry looked almost ancient with all the rust covering it. He looked up, spotting the name ‘Dixon’s’ surrounded by intricately carved metal arrows adorning the gateway. This wasn’t a usual ranch, not even in this part of the lands, and he wasn’t very happy to go in there. The place looked almost abandoned, the grass of the pastures eaten to the ground and a few cows lurking under a solitary tree somewhere far away.

Rick opened the gates and got back into the car, his police uniform making him sweat in the hot air around him even if he had short sleeves. He drove carefully through the gates and steered his car down the beaten path that he hoped would get him to the homestead.

The landscape changed slightly the further in he went. There was increasingly more greenery around him, sparse trees and something that looked like a pond to the left, a small shack to his right. He drove past them, keeping his eyes on the horizon and soon, there was a huge house looming in the distance. Rick’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline when he spotted the details of the gigantic homestead. Sighing again, shushing his brain that was screaming at him to turn and leave, Rick parked the car and got out, eyes focused on the house in front of him.

The whole construction was old and big. It was also neglected to the point that it would soon stop being big and start collapsing on itself. Rick looked around, noticing that the only things that didn’t look ancient in the whole building were the windows and the doors. The rest was a rotten mess of wood, from the porch to the roof. He swallowed, put his issue hat on and walked to the door, knocking on it. There was no answer and Rick hesitated slightly, before he reached his hand to a big bell hanging next to the door, looking as ancient as the whole house. He rang it a few times, wincing at the shrill sound he got in return and waited patiently. He had a case to investigate, after all, and he didn’t want his first few days out of the sick leave to be branded as failure.

It took about five solid minutes, but finally Rick heard a distinct sound of horseshoes hitting the ground in rapid succession and he turned around to see who that was. As soon as he did his mouth almost fell open.

A man riding a black horse was coming towards him at full speed. He had a stetson on his head, a brown leather pack thrown over one shoulder and, from where Rick was standing, it looked as if he was naked. When he closed in, Rick could clearly see that he was just shirtless, and was still wearing chaps made out of lightly colored leather that he must have taken for the man’s bare skin. He mentally shook himself, reasoning with his own brain that it was just his first month after the divorce and that he needed to find himself a nice lass.

 _Or a nice cat_ , Rick’s brain supplied and he frowned, quickly deciding that now wasn’t the time nor the place to have this kind of conversation with himself. He looked up just as the guy dismounted his horse and moved towards him, leaving the animal where it stood, seemingly confident of the steed’s training. He looked Rick up and down when he walked up to him and Rick could feel himself squirming under that piercing gaze.

He was a well trained officer of the law and he wasn’t afraid of confrontations. It wasn’t fear that sent a small shiver down his spine and made him swallow heavily before even opening his mouth to greet the man. The guy was about Rick’s height, but his shoulders were almost twice Rick’s width, and while this might have been intimidating to others, he found it strangely fascinating. Rick gave himself a mental scold and finally opened his mouth in a greeting, trying hard to ignore something that could get, well… _hard_.

“Howdy” Rick said, trying to keep his voice even, not really sure if his greeting would be taken seriously or as a mockery. He didn’t remember much of what his grandfather taught him about cowboys and ranches, but there were a few things that stuck in his mind. _Never pass anyone on the trail without saying howdy, boy_. Rick figured that they weren’t necessarily on a trail, but that it would still be nice to at least give the man a greeting, even if he was already within the shooting range. He really didn’t want to get to violence, not when he was fresh out of the hospital and after _getting shot_ , nonetheless.

The cowboy’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded his head at Rick anyway, seemingly accepting the greeting. Rick sighed.  
“Can I help ya, sheriff?” The gruffy voice reached Rick’s ears and he had to take a tight rein over his thoughts before they went south.  
“Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, I’m here to ask you a couple of questions about the incident at Mrs. Peletier’s ranch and to speak to the owner, if he’s around” Rick rattled, wanting to get it done so he could go back home. It was his last task for today and then he could just go back to his small house and jerk off in peace and quiet, imagining the broad shoulders of… wait, _what?_

“‘s me” the cowboy stated, throwing the pack he had past Rick. It landed on the porch and Rick reluctantly followed it with his eyes, his police training telling him to make sure it wasn’t a threat to his safety. He looked back at Daryl and frowned.  
“Wait… You’re Daryl Dixon?” He asked, the surprise evident in his voice. He was really expecting someone older than a man that looked his own age, dressed up as a cowboy and tending to his cattle. Weren’t ranchers supposed to be old and smelling of whiskey, sitting on the porch and counting dollars their cows brought them?

Daryl lifted one hand to his hat and tipped it in a playful manner, giving Rick a very nice view of his biceps working, and Rick found himself rushing to the end of the conversation before he choked on his own spit.  
“Do you know what happened at Mrs. Peletier’s ranch a few days ago?” He asked, trying to be as professional as he could, letting his eyes linger for only a moment on the man’s flat stomach before he dug out a notepad from his pocket. It didn’t escape Rick’s attention that Daryl’s expression morphed into one of concern the second he mentioned Mrs. Peletier.

“Something happened? What?” He asked, the voice gruffy but with a huge dosage of surprise in it. Rick nodded.  
“Somebody must have sneaked to the northern border of her ranch, cut the fence she had put on the property line and opened the way to a pack of wolves” Rick watched as Daryl’s face went from concern to anger in a matter of seconds.  
“Sonofabitch!” Daryl snarled, looking intensely at Rick. “Is Carol okay? And her girl?”  
“They’re both fine, but… you can’t say the same about the cattle” Rick shook his head and Daryl’s eyes widened even as his posture relaxed a little upon hearing that Mrs. Peletier was alright.  
“What happened?”  
“Apparently the wolves got inside and hunted down her herd. They killed fifteen cows and calves” Rick frowned when Daryl cursed again.

“Fuck! _Fifteen?_ Her whole herd was about _twenty-five heads!_ ” He started to pace around before he stopped right in front of Rick again, digging a hand inside his pocket and retrieving a pack of cigarettes. He offered one to Rick, shrugged when Rick declined and took one for himself.  
“At least Mrs. Peletier and her daughter are alright” Rick tried to console the man somehow, but Daryl only grumbled angrily around his smoke and looked at him with sharp eyes.  
“Yeah? Try tellin’ ‘em that in the winter, when they’ve got no money an’ no meat” he seethed, but seemed to calm down with every drag of his cigarette.

They stood there silent for a longer moment, before Daryl finally stomped his cigarette out on the ground. He looked at Rick thoughtfully.  
“Ya know? Someone cut through my fence, too. Few days ago. Thought they mighta been robbers and tha’ they resigned after seein’ my house, but now…” he trailed off and Rick nodded thoughtfully.  
“Can I see it?”

“Yeah… just not now. It’s at the far end and I left my herd to come here when I heard the bell. Need to get them water and feed, an’ that will take some time” Daryl looked at the horizon where the sun was almost setting. “Can ya come tomorrow? I fixed the fence so I probably stomped all over any evidence already, a few hours more shouldn’t change a thing” he looked at Rick and Rick nodded. The man was right and the time wouldn’t change anything anyway, the damage was already done.

“Alright. When should I come back, Mr. Dixon?”  
“Ain’t no mister, sheriff. Just call me Daryl” the rancher smirked at Rick, and the cop had a hard time taming his thoughts yet again. He nodded at him.  
“Alright, Daryl.”  
“How ‘bout you come back here ‘round noon. It’s gonna be hot as hell, but at least I’ll be free and I’ll show ya the place” Daryl waved his hand in the general direction of where the damaged fence was.

“Perfect” Rick agreed, really wanting to end this conversation before his pants got too tight. A half naked cowboy, looking handsome as all hell in his black stetson on, waving his muscular arms around did funny things to Rick’s deprived brain.

They said their goodbyes and Rick walked back to his cruiser, feeling Daryl’s eyes on his retreating back all the way to the door. He slid into the driver’s seat and, with a small wave of his hand, turned the car around.

 

__________

 

The road home took Rick about half of the usual time. Whether it was the fatigue of the work, or Daryl’s piercing eyes lodged deeply in his memory, Rick didn’t know, but he drove his car as fast as he reasonably could. The cowboy he had just talked to was like sin on legs, and probably for the first time in his career, Rick had troubles focusing on his task. But it would all pass somehow, Rick was almost sure of it. He could already feel his brain working overtime on everything, from Daryl’s handsome smile and his gruff voice, to the things Rick could and couldn’t do about it.

He cursed quietly under his breath, parking the cruiser with a screech of brakes and mentally shook himself. He tried to be rational, blaming his divorce with Lori for his current condition. He knew he was yearning for a human touch, for the closeness coming from a person who wanted to just be there with him, to feel good with each other. This natural coming-together of two people was something Rick had always craved, but somehow he had ended up in a little, empty house, its walls cold and unfriendly.

When Lori moved out, taking Carl - their only child - with her, Rick had been devastated. Not immediately, not for the first few weeks. At the beginning, it had been liberating. The newfound quietness of his surroundings, undisturbed by arguments and shouting matches that usually filled this place, the stillness of the world around him, where he could finally breathe more easily. It had been nice for a while. But then, the soothing quietness had become deadly silence, and the stillness had started to spin his head out of control. And then, the divorce had been finalized and Rick was officially a free man, living in his small house, in those silent four walls.

He knew that he should move on, find another girl, start another life. But it wasn’t that easy when his flirting was seriously handicapped not only by the lack of time to properly master it, but also because there was always a shadow of the failed marriage lurking somewhere around the corner. He didn’t want to get too attached too soon, afraid it would end up just like his life with Lori did.

Sure, he could just pick someone up for one night. A quick tumble in the sheets would probably solve at least a few of his problems and give him a bit of the normalcy back, but Rick just wasn’t one for one night stands. If he decided to do something, he was always in for a long shot. _A dog with a bone,_ some of his friends at the station jokingly called him. Rick reckoned they were right. If he hadn’t been so desperate to salvage what was left of his marriage, maybe they would have divorced a long time ago. Maybe it wouldn’t have to end in such a big crash…

But it had ended in a big crash, and now Rick was all alone, standing in his small, cold house, feeling like if he was in a museum. Everything looked almost the same as when Lori was here, except it didn’t. Not quite. Without Lori’s undying enthusiasm for a house straight out of a newest style magazine, it was almost clinically modern here. It was strange, but Rick felt as if the hospital room he had been in after getting shot was more of a home to him than this sad building.

He sighed, shrugging mentally, and walked to the bathroom, not bothering to take off his boots until he reached the shower. Only then he took everything off and slid under the warm water, letting its soft caress take his mind off of his life for a moment. Rick let his thoughts wander, absentmindedly scrubbing his skin with a sponge, wincing when the scratchy side of it rubbed against the delicate skin of his abdomen. He looked down at it, noticing it was in fact Lori’s sponge, a mix of soft red and rough pink surfaces held in his hand, smelling faintly of something that was supposed to be ocean breeze. He threw it on the rack and finished washing the rest of his body with his hands.

Once he was done and toweled off, he slipped into his favorite pair of boxers, wondering why was he even doing this when he was sleeping alone. But his brain was even more tired than his body, and he shrugged the thoughts off, deciding to leave that for some other time. The day had exhausted him, and Rick blamed it in equal parts on the sick leave he had been on and on the way his life looked like right now. Too beaten up to so anything about it right then, he slipped under the blanket and turned the lights off, hoping a night’s worth of sleep would magically solve some of his problems.

 

__________

 

Daryl was sitting at the table, munching at a yesterday’s steak he pulled out of the fridge. He wasn’t really interested in cooking that evening, his thoughts going on and on around what happened at Carol’s ranch. The news of his friend’s troubles always made him feel uneasy, especially considering that people he would call friends could be counted on the fingers of one hand. He knew that he had to do something about Carol’s culled herd, but his options were limited. He didn’t have enough money to even finish the most pending house repairs at the moment, not to mention give Carol the money to buy herself a few heads. Daryl’s eyes drifted to the window where he could hear one of the bulls mooing somewhere in the night and a plan started to form in his head.

Once he decided on what to do, the hasty calculations telling him that they could both survive this way, he made a mental note to call a few guys from the town and get them to help with driving the cattle. He would need to pay them, but that was a small fee compared to buying new cows for Carol.

Nodding to himself, Daryl finished the rest of his steak, his thoughts drifting to the sheriff that had come to visit him earlier. The man had something to him that made Daryl think about him in a nice way. Sure, the young Dixon wasn’t as opposed to law as his whole family had been, mostly because Daryl knew that if he wasn’t planning on selling drugs and stolen cars, he had nothing to worry about when it came to the police. His father had been very hostile towards them, which had brought him no good. Merle, his older brother, was mostly the same… But Daryl was more amicable when it came to the lawmen in the town. Sure, he was living on the outskirts, the town’s center so far away it was practically another world to him, but his ranch was still within the town’s police district and this police was very good indeed.

Daryl could still remember how they chose to ignore every murky detail about Carol’s husband’s death, how the story about him stumbling and falling off the stairs had been taken as the one true version, while practically everyone had known that something had been wrong with it. Nobody had asked any more questions than what had been strictly required, the way the old man had used to beat his wife and daughter fresh on everyone’s minds. Daryl had been glad, and from that day on, he had started to look more enthusiastically at the cops in the town. Not that there were many of them coming around to his ranch.

But Rick Grimes… Well, Daryl had to admit to himself that the man had caught his attention. He looked for all the words like all those polished cops out there, but something in the way he stood, in the way he talked, told Daryl he wasn’t one of those guys who had a stick up their asses. Well… If Daryl was to bet, he would say Rick wanted to _get_ a stick up his ass, judging by the way he had been sneaking glances when he had thought Daryl couldn’t see him.

Daryl was really looking forward to meeting him on the next day. The guy was pretty, with big blue eyes and a few days worth of stubble, all proper in his uniform with a mess of curls sticking out from under his hat. Daryl could certainly admit that Rick was his type, even if he looked a bit too good to shack up with some cowboy like Daryl. He probably had a nice home somewhere in the center of the town, with white picket fence and a wife who cooked him dinner everyday.  
  
Daryl sighed, going back to the fridge and pulling out a can of beer. He had a few hours to kill before he had to go to sleep, and watching news and drinking beer seemed like a good idea. And if his thoughts wandered a few times to the full lips of a certain sheriff, well, who could blame him.

 

__________

 

Rick was lying on his front, his head smashed into his fluffy pillow and his body shifting relentlessly under the weight at his back. He groaned, two big hands rubbing down his arms, down to his wrists, before they tugged them over his head, holding him stretched out. The insistent hardness pressing between his ass cheeks, rubbing up against him was making him whimper pathetically. There was a dark chuckle in his ear, before a stubbled jaw rubbed against the sensitive skin, shivers tumbling down his spine.

“Ya wan’ it bad, don’cha?” The raspy voice was familiar, but Rick’s brain was too occupied frying itself to pieces to make the connection. The man above him chuckled, making Rick squirm in place even more, before something slick and insistent pushed at his opening.

Rick couldn’t help the quiet whine that escaped him, his body burning for something, _anything_ , but the slickness disappeared. Another chuckle followed and, in its wake, the pressure at his ass. And then the cock that had been rubbing over his entrance slipped inside and…

Rick woke with a start, sitting up in his bed, eyes darting around his bedroom in a panicked way. It was still dark, the clock informed him that it was barely past three in the morning and he sighed, flopping back down on the bed, covering his face with his hands. _Christ…_ That was one hell of a dream, and Rick tried desperately to calm his breathing and will it away.

He wasn’t really shocked at the topic of the dream. He had known ever since his puberty that he liked guys as much as he liked girls. The man from his dream wasn’t a surprise either, not after talking to Daryl earlier that day. The cowboy really had an effect on Rick, and Rick wasn’t stupid enough to try and convince himself it wasn’t so. But the dream felt so real, so fantastically _real_ …

He licked his lips and looked down the length of his body, all sweaty and tangled in the sheets. He was hard, his whole frame vibrating with need and he knew he wouldn’t get even a wink of sleep if he didn’t do something about that. Not at this point, anyway. And so, letting out a breath, he reluctantly tugged the sheets from around himself, pushing them down along with his boxers to pool somewhere near his ankles, and wrapped one hand around himself. It wasn’t as good as having the man from his dream, not as far as Rick’s imagination went, but it was something…

He started to move his hand, slow, measured strokes, making a good use of all the precome he’d already been leaking from his intense dream. It was good, electrifying, but it wasn’t _enough_. His whole body still _throbbed_ for something _more_ , for more sensations, for more of what he had lived through in that dream. Rick stuck two fingers into his mouth, trying not to dwell too long as he sucked them and made them wet. Shiny with his own spit, the two digits traveled down his body, down over his abdomen and cock, to his ass. He sucked in a quick breath when he pushed both of them inside, wincing at the stretch, but relishing the burn nevertheless.

It did something to cool his brain a bit and he plunged them in as deep as he could, drawing them out and shoving in again, his mind drifting back to the cowboy on the ranch. It was easy to imagine things in the middle of the night, Daryl’s fingers gripping him, slipping inside him, caressing him like he needed to be caressed. It wasn’t just a quick hard fuck that he wanted, no. Rick craved to be close to someone, to roll around in bed like a couple of teenagers, to drag Daryl down on top of him and kiss him senseless, feeling as Daryl’s muscular arms wrapped around him securely and…

Rick came with a muffled shout, his release hitting his stomach in uneven streaks, hot and sticky on his shivering skin. It took him a longer moment, but finally his tensed muscles relaxed and he collapsed down, breathing heavily. His eyes were still closed, head wrapped up in the fantasy he tried to cling to with all his strength. Not wanting to break his happy little bubble, Rick blindly untucked one corner of the sheet and wiped himself with it messily, not really caring if he missed a few spots. He rolled around and wrapped himself up in the blanket, working furiously with his legs to shimmer out of his boxers, because he would be damned if he had to get up to take them off. As he felt the pull of sleep lure him in, he had Daryl’s squinting eyes in his mind and a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach.

 

__________

 

On the next day, Rick came to Daryl’s ranch a bit before noon. He was equally antsy to get there and to stall for time, and he decided to just drive first and think later. If he could do any thinking at all once Daryl would show up, that is. The cowboy was waiting for him on the porch, smoking and giving Rick a solid once-over when he exited the cruiser. Rick nodded at him, trying to stop the swarm of butterflies in his stomach from eating him alive, and walked up to the porch.

“Ready for a ride, sheriff?” Daryl asked with a smirk, and Rick swallowed, the phrase provoking all kinds of warmth to spread through his insides. He hoped he wasn’t blushing like a fucking schoolgirl.  
“A ride?” He asked, voice uneven. Daryl’s smirk widened.  
“Yup” and Daryl looked to the side where one of the trees was growing near the house. Rick followed his gaze and gulped when he saw two horses there. He recognized the black one, the one Daryl had been riding the day before, but next to it was one Rick hadn’t seen yet. It was a tobiano horse, the brown patches creating a beautiful contrast with the stark-white background of its coat and Rick couldn’t help but open his mouth in awe. The horse was simply beautiful. And big.

His head snapped back to Daryl and he narrowed his eyes at the cowboy who was still standing there and smoking calmly.  
“You want me to ride?” And Daryl nodded, looking him up and down again, the gaze slipping over Rick making him tingle all over.  
“Ya ever rode a horse, ‘fore?”  
“Yeah.. but I was a kid”  _...and it was a pony,_ Rick added in his mind, gritting his teeth. Why would they ride a horse when they had _cars?_ Daryl seemed to read his mind and decided to answer that question for him.

“’s pretty rocky where we’re goin’, and I don’t want ya to damage that toy” Daryl nodded his head in the direction of Rick’s cruiser and Rick gave an indignant huff. But he reckoned Daryl was right and they should take horses if there was the danger of getting stuck or damaging the car.  
“Alright” he gave up finally, throwing both hands into air. It didn’t escape him how Daryl’s smirk became even more pronounced as the man stubbed out his cigarette and slowly walked down the narrow porch stairs.

They made their way to the horses, Rick stalling a bit before he told himself to man up and do it. Daryl walked him through all the basics, and Rick felt like a dumbass for a longer moment, up until he sat himself in the saddle and looked down at the cowboy.

Daryl stared at him. He positively _stared_ at Rick like a hunter would at his prey, tongue sneaking out to trace over his lips absently as his eyes raked down Rick’s thighs, hugging the horse almost too tightly in an attempt not to fall off. It sent a very pleasant shiver to travel down Rick’s body, settling somewhere in his groin, and he looked down at his hands, gripping the handle on the saddle with a white-knuckled grip.

He heard a grunt, a shuffle and when he looked up, Daryl was already sitting on his black steed, adjusting his hat with one hand and turning the horse around with the other. Rick swallowed nervously and tugged at the reins in his own sweaty palms. The horse danced in place and Daryl huffed out a laugh at how startled Rick looked for a moment. The sheriff just froze in place, brain debating whether he should let the reins go and just hop off of the horse.

“Ya have to be gentle with ‘er” Daryl moved closer to him and reached for Rick’s reins. Rick wanted to let them go, but Daryl was quicker and covered Rick’s fist with his own, oblivious to how Rick bit his lip to stop any sound from escaping. Daryl’s hand was large and rough, skin calloused from hard work but, _oh_ , so warm… It was also very careful as Daryl softly tugged on the reins and steered Rick’s horse to the side.

“See? Like this. Otherwise she’ll get spooked” Daryl’s hands left Rick to himself and he almost whined at the loss of contact. He managed not to embarrass himself completely, though, masking it with a small cough.  
“Thanks” he mumbled out, determined to keep up with Daryl, once the man started the horse in the direction they needed to go. Rick didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of him, damn it, not if he wanted to get something going between the two of them. So he followed Daryl, quietly marvelling at the fluid way the man moved.

Daryl looked like he belonged on that horse, all quiet grace and hidden strength. His power was visible even from the distance, but up close, Rick could see every gentle move he made, every shift of the muscles under Daryl’s black t-shirt. Rick didn’t know whether he put that particular combination of clothes on specifically to drive Rick wild, but a set of black, tight t-shirt and dark jeans with those damned skin-colored chaps was doing _things_ to Rick’s brain.

He cleared his throat and, once he was sure he got the hang of riding the horse, Rick trotted forward, lining himself up with Daryl’s black beast. He looked to the side, sparing a glance at Daryl’s profile, taking in his narrowed eyes and the scruff on his chin, before he looked ahead.  
“So… how did you end up as a rancher?” _Really smooth, Rick,_ he almost slapped himself when Daryl squinted at him. He was quiet for a long moment before he finally decided on humoring Rick.  
“My brother got the ranch when our old man died…” he trailed off for a moment. Rick was one the verge of saying ‘sorry for your loss’ but stopped himself. Daryl didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look too pained by the fact, either. Rick thought it would be better to let it rest until he knew something more.

“Merle hightailed outta here as soon as he could. Left me this place. Told me he’ll come back someday…”  
“Did he?”  
“‘t was three years ago. I’d reckon he just found himself a piece of tail and shacked up with her” Daryl huffed out a quiet laugh and looked at Rick. “If any of them women could stand ‘im for longer than one night” that brought a smile on Rick’s lips as well. He shook his head, looking down at his fingers wrapped around the reins.

“You look like you could do that without a problem… how bad can he be?” Rick tried not to think too hard on what he just said. “I mean, he’s your brother…”  
“Ya’d be surprised” Daryl snickered and turned the horse to the left. “C’mon, we’ll go here, otherwise ya’ll end up in a pond.”  
“Hey! I’m doing good” Rick’s indignant murmur got him a quiet laugh and more snickering from the cowboy.  
“Yeah? Good enough to keep on tha horse when it sees a rattlesnake?”

Rick gulped, halting his steed and blinking at Daryl.  
“ _Rattlesnake?_ ” He didn’t like the sound of that. Rick watched Daryl turn the horse around and look at him with the expression of utter amusement painted all over his face.  
“Yup! Loads of those sonofabitches down by the pond. We should ride around it. ‘Less ya wanna try yer rodeo skills” Daryl turned back in the right direction and Rick almost jabbed his heels into his horse’s sides.  
“Hey! Wait for me!” Daryl’s barked out laughter was the only thing he got in answer.

 

__________

 

The ride to the northern fence took them about three hours, and by that time Rick managed to get a few things out of Daryl, but it was obvious the guy didn’t really like talking that much. He was good at listening, though, and halfway to their destination, Rick started to tell him about his own life. Daryl listened about his divorce, about Shane, his former friend and the cause for his failed marriage. The cowboy nodded all through it, throwing in a few curses and a quiet “aww sorry man” a few times, but generally, he was just there and listened.

It was refreshing. It was so refreshing to Rick that he felt a few pounds lighter by the time the fence was even visible on the horizon.

They rode up to it, Daryl jumping off his horse as graceful as ever, Rick on his part just trying not to fall off of it when one of his shoes got caught in the stirrup. He managed not to embarrass himself completely, and with a quiet sigh, he followed Daryl to the damaged part, taking it all in. It was a simple wooden fence, strong enough to hold the cattle, reinforced against smaller animals with a bit of chain link. Rick could clearly see where Daryl had repaired the fence, the copper wire he used sitting in stark contrast to the chain link it was threaded through.

Daryl had also been right, whatever evidence there might have been had already disappeared, either stomped over or flushed away with rain. There was nothing, except for the clear fact that the fence had been cut. Rick sighed, rooting around in his pockets for his phone, taking it out and snapping a few pictures to attach them to his police report. He couldn’t resist taking one picture of the area, somehow managing to include Daryl in the shot, pretending he was doing a zoomed-in photo. He felt incredibly proud of his sneakiness when he put the phone back into his pocket.

Their ride back was uneventful and Rick didn’t know whether he was grateful or annoyed by it. He was glad there hadn’t been any rattlesnakes on their path but, on the other hand, he would like something good to happen, too. Alas, the trip was boring and Rick found his mind drifting to the few cows he had seen lurking somewhere. They looked mean to Rick. Well… if cows could look mean, that is. The thing was, they were all almost identical, reddish-brown, looking at them from the distance with their small black eyes and Rick was almost sure that if they could be bothered, they would come over and try to stab him in the ass with one of their horns.

“Hey Daryl?” The cowboy grunted at him so Rick took it as a sign to continue. “Why are all your cows brown?”  
“Best for meat” Daryl replied, looking at Rick as if he was a dumbass.  
“Really?” Rick didn’t really see the connection between the cow’s coat and its taste.  
“ _Have_ ya had a real steak, Rick?” Daryl eyed him suspiciously and sighed in exasperation when Rick shook his head.  
“That means no… _Man…_ Ya have to come over for a dinner, then” Daryl offered as if it was some kind of great feast Rick had been missing upon his whole life.

He probably had.

Rick’s thoughts came back to Daryl so suddenly that his head felt dizzy. Daryl was offering to cook him a steak. From one of his cows. _Daryl_ was offering Rick _his meat_.  
“Ya free on Friday?” Daryl’s rough voice asking Rick whether or not he was _anything_ would probably give him an affirmative answer before Rick’s brain even re-learned how to use calendar in that moment.  
“Yeah” he nodded to emphasize the point, trying not to look like an overeager parrot. Daryl inclined his head at him.  
“‘Round seven?”  
“Perfect, thanks” Rick swallowed in a valiant attempt to stop his throat from getting too shaky.

It was a date.


	2. I'm ready to grow young again

On Friday, Rick showed up at Daryl’s doorstep ten minutes after seven. He tried not to think too much about how picking out his clothes had made him late. He felt even worse when what he finally had decided on was a set of an ordinary blue button-up and his favorite pair of jeans. Daryl didn’t seem to mind, though, when he opened the door and smiled that little, barely-there smile of his, spotting a sixpack of beer tucked under Rick’s arm.  
“That for me?” He winked and Rick could feel the blush spreading over his cheeks, knowing only too well what kind of effect Daryl had on him.

He gave Daryl the beer and let himself be led inside, noticing that the house looked a lot better inside than outside. Daryl must have seen him take the interior in with a look of awe on his face, because he cleared his throat and quickly explained.  
“‘M saving money to repair the walls outside and the roof. But it takes time, so I do this in-between” he waved his hand around, and Rick followed it, eyes jumping from one place to another.

The inside was big, but it looked very cozy. It was cluttered with all kinds of stuff here and there, but there was enough space left to move comfortably through the rooms. Rick was amazed at how different it looked from the rusty, rotten outside of the house. How different it looked from his _own_ house. Daryl’s living room, once Rick stepped into it, was so _warm_ Rick could gladly just live there. It had this ancient touch to it, history somehow mashed into corners of it, peeking at Rick from old hunting trophies and cow skulls. But it had also that non-intrusive spirit of newer times, emphasized by a big couch that was all geometrical shapes and straight lines.

“It looks great” Rick murmured under his breath finally, looking at Daryl and seeing him biting at his thumb. Rick had observed this man long enough to pick up on his nervous habit, so he smiled at him to show him that he really meant what he said. “It’s so cozy in here” Rick added as an afterthought. Daryl seemed to relax a bit, his mouth quirking up slightly once he took his hand away from it.

Daryl then showed Rick to the kitchen and sat him down at a table, opening the beer and filling Rick a glass. He took one for himself, too, and Rick was graced with the view of Daryl getting busy with their dinner, preparing the steaks and drinking from his glass all at once. Rick caught the sight of Daryl’s throat working as he swallowed the beer a few times and had to forcibly bring his thoughts back to what they were talking about not to get carried away with his staring.

“How come yah never had a real steak?” Daryl asked finally, squinting at Rick from over the sizzling pans.  
“Lori was a freak when it came to healthy food” Rick shrugged. “She tried to turn me into a vegetarian once…” Rick smiled at Daryl’s quiet ‘ _what the fuck?_ ’ and took a sip of his beer. “Yeah, she did. Didn’t work for long and after a week I was back to normal food. Well, as normal as you can call it, I guess… But steaks? We usually had them with Shane when we were out, but I think what you can get at a diner by the road doesn’t qualify as a _real_ steak…” At that, Daryl snorted.  
“Nah, a roadkill is better sometimes” Daryl turned to him, two plates held firmly in his hands, and Rick could feel himself salivating again. Though if it was over the perfectly cooked steaks, or over Daryl himself, he couldn’t tell.

They ate in silence… well, mostly. Rick was making little delighted sounds every now and then, because _really_ , Daryl knew how to handle his meat. The steak was delicious, medium-rare, the outside sprinkled with spices and the inside juicy enough to make Rick’s eyes roll in delight with every bite.

Once they were done, bellies full and chatting merrily about this and that, they both relocated to Daryl’s living room. The TV was turned on and new beers were opened, and just like that, Rick found himself relaxing into the cushions of the big couch. He kept his gaze trained on the screen, absentmindedly watching Clint Eastwood being the badass he always seemed to be, but Rick’s mind was circling back to Daryl over and over again. The time flew by and before any of them noticed, the movie ended and another started. They also started on more beers, quickly followed by Daryl’s whiskey. It was a very good evening in Rick’s opinion.

“D’ya mind?” Daryl’s gruff voice asked as the man shook a pack of cigarettes in front of him. Rick smiled at how considerate Daryl tried to be, even in his own damn house.  
“Nah. Go ahead” he took a sip of his whiskey and watched as Daryl took one cigarette out and lit it, taking a deep inhale and puffing the smoke out in a little cloud. Rick watched entranced as it escaped Daryl’s lips, knowing he was staring but not really concerned about it. He had been staring at Daryl for the whole evening already, a little more couldn’t be a problem...  
  
“Ya want ‘nother photo, sheriff?” _Or maybe it could be a problem…_ Rick shook his head a little to clear it and looked down at his lap, an apology ready on his lips, but he fell silent when he processed what Daryl had just said.  
“You saw that?” Rick didn’t know if he was mortified or embarrassed as he set his whiskey back on the table. A bit of both, probably.  
“Aha” there was something playful in that one little word and Rick looked back at Daryl. The little amused smirk that curled Daryl’s lips up was enough to make Rick breathe easier. Maybe it was Daryl’s amusement, or maybe it was the liquid courage, but Rick found himself laughing quietly.  
“And here I was, trying to be sneaky…”  
“ _Sneaky?_ Ya wouldn’t be more obvious if ya told me to pose for it…”

And there it was again, that little embarrassed part of Rick’s brain squirming uncomfortably. Daryl barked out a quiet laughter and took another cigarette. Apparently chain-smoking was his thing. He held the pack out for Rick.  
“Ya sure ya don’t want one?”  
“Wouldn’t know what to do. I’ve never tried them. Would probably light one and get fed up after one drag” Rick looked over at Daryl. He was curious, but he didn’t want to waste the man’s cigarettes. Daryl looked thoughtful for a moment, before he lit his smoke and narrowed his eyes at Rick.

“Got an idea” he moved closer to Rick, one arm hooked over the back of the couch, the other holding the cigarette. Rick watched him with quiet fascination, acutely aware of just how close Daryl was. “Open yer mouth and take a deep breath” Daryl instructed, taking a big drag from his cigarette. Rick’s brain had troubles processing what he just said, and when Daryl started to exhale the first bit of smoke hit him on the face. Then his brain seemed to kick-start and he started to inhale, just in time to catch the last bit of smoke.

It was bitter and harsh, scratching at his throat and almost making him cough. He managed to rein himself in, but it took a few seconds. Daryl barked out a laugh when he saw Rick’s rapid blinking.  
“Alright, let’s try it again.”

This time Rick caught most of the smoke, thanks to Daryl leaning closer to him. He still coughed like a twerp, but this time it wasn’t only because of the smoke. Daryl was just so _close_ to him... Barely a few inches separating them, just a tiny slice of air between his lips and Daryl’s. Rick felt himself tingling all over when he looked into the cowboy’s eyes, narrowed and dangerous, blue even in the dim light of his living room. And then his eyes fell to Daryl’s lips, thin, pink, with smoke pouring from between them just to slip into Rick’s mouth and into his own lungs.

He was breathing _Daryl’s air_. Granted, there was the smoke, too, with half of the periodic table in it, but who cared? He was breathing the same air Daryl had inside his lungs. It was almost as if he had been breathing Daryl _himself_. Rick couldn’t help the small noise of protest that escaped him when Daryl leaned back and looked at him. He had that thoughtful expression on his face again, as if he was making a decision. Rick couldn’t wait and see what was that about, his body already telling him that whatever it was he would say yes. _Hell yes_.

Daryl took another drag from his smoke and leaned in again, but as soon as he started blowing the smoke out, as soon as Rick’s lips opened to inhale it once again, the cowboy leaned into him, closing the distance and pressing his lips to Rick’s.

The first touch was electric enough to light up all of Rick’s body. Daryl didn’t waste any time and the arm hooked over the couch sneaked around Rick, bringing him closer, as Daryl slowly licked his way into Rick’s mouth. The smoke erupted between them in a cloud, but they didn’t really pay it any attention, eyes closed when they savored the feel of each other. Rick was dimly aware of Daryl leaning a bit to the side, throwing his cigarette into the ashtray on the table, not really caring if it landed inside or not. And then both of his hands were wrapped in Rick’s curls, tugging at them playfully, steering Rick in whatever direction Daryl wanted him as their tongues curled around one another.

There was a brief pause when Daryl pulled back, gasping for the much needed air, licking his own kiss-swollen lips, before he dove in again. Rick let himself be kissed, the wild passion almost vibrating between them, little growls filling the suddenly hot air around them. It was so good to finally kiss Daryl that Rick could feel himself getting lightheaded, sinking blissfully into the sensations caused by the cowboy.

There was a clatter of empty beer cans when Daryl tried to reposition himself a little, one leg moving over the floor for better purchase. He froze on top of Rick and broke the kiss, panting heavily. Rick tried to follow him with his lips, but Daryl dropped his head down and pressed his face into Rick’s shirt, groaning.  
“Fuck, we’re _drunk_ ” Rick’s heart sank a bit at Daryl’s tone of voice, but he tried hard not to be hurt.  
“I want it, Daryl” he whispered, threading his hand through the mop of unruly hair on Daryl’s head. The cowboy looked up at him.  
“I’m not fucking a _drunk cop_ ” he smirked a little and Rick felt his worries melting away.

Yeah, alright, they were drunk. Somewhere between the dinner and the movie, they managed to drink all the beer Rick had brought and then they had started on Daryl’s whiskey. He could feel his head swimming a bit, but it was nothing compared to the reactions he got when Daryl kissed him. Rick licked his lips expectantly, trying to lure him into doing something, because fuck, now he was hard and horny and could Daryl fucking _do something?_

But the cowboy backed away, sitting up on the couch and looking for his smokes again. Rick gave an indignant huff.  
“So you want me to just drive home like this?” He scoffed but Daryl shook his head furiously.  
“Fuck _no_ , yer drunk, yer not _drivin’_ anywhere” he found his cigarettes and took one. “Yer stayin’ for the night, come on” Daryl lit his cigarette and stood up, walking to the ancient staircase and stepping on it. Rick followed him a moment later, as soon as he could get his feet to get him into the direction he intended to go. Maybe they had a little too much to drink, after all?

Rick could swear it was all just the effect Daryl had on him, though.

 

__________

 

After Daryl showed Rick to his guest room and the cop started to take off his clothes, Daryl wished him goodnight and walked out of the room. He wanted to act like a gentleman, because he really wanted to get Rick, and he thought he wouldn’t appreciate Daryl acting like a caveman. Besides, Rick was a cop, and Daryl was _pretty sure_ that having sex while drunk was a criminal offense… at least without previous explicit consent, which was what he had learned from his idiot brother. But god, it was hard. Something else got even _harder_ , too, when Daryl walked up the stairs a bit later, a bottle of water and some tylenol in hand. He stepped by the door and was to knock on it, when he heard a soft sound from the other side.

Knowing fully well what that sound meant, and what exactly Rick was doing, Daryl bit his lip and waited, trying not groan himself when Rick’s voice carried through the wooden door.

__________

 

Rick woke up in a huge bed somewhere around sunrise. He was alone in Daryl’s guest room, the interior looking freshly renovated and surprisingly sparsely decorated. A single wardrobe, two chairs and a bed. One of the chairs was standing next to the bed and Rick frowned when he spotted a bottle of water and a bottle of tylenol sitting on top of it. Trying not to jar his head too much, because yeah, there had been a bit too much alcohol the night before, he swallowed the pills and gulped down half of the bottle, before he plopped down on the bed again. With a fluffy pillow smashed into his face, smelling faintly of washing powder and that sun-dried scent of clean linen, he sighed and decided to be lazy for once.

 

__________

 

The next time Rick woke up, the sun was already high on the sky. His watch informed him it was almost eleven, and he groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He tentatively got up, noticing with relief that the hangover hadn’t stayed with him, and dressed back into his clothes that he found on the other chair. He made his way to the hall and down the stairs, trying to be quiet in case Daryl was still asleep. He spotted Daryl in the kitchen, cutting something on the chopping board.  
“Mornin’ sleepin’ beauty” the cowboy threw over his shoulder and Rick’s eyes widened at how well Daryl could hear him. Rick hoped Daryl hadn’t heard his little one-handed session the night before, a little after they had said their goodnights.

Rick mumbled something that he hoped sounded a bit more eloquent than ‘I need to piss’ and Daryl pointed his hand to the door right next to where Rick was standing. He turned and got inside, a quiet ‘thanks’ slipping from his lips.

The bathroom Rick found himself in was half-made. Literally, there were only new tiles lining the walls, two buckets in one corner and the toilet bowl opposite to them. Rick vaguely remembered being here on the previous evening, but he was too drunk to take in the details. On the other hand there wasn’t much to take in. It was clear Daryl was still working on the house, repairing what he could when he got enough money to do it. Apparently a bath was not the most needed thing right now, nor was the sink. Rick took it all in, the single toilet bowl, two buckets in the opposite corner, a towel thrown over one of them and the new tiles on the walls. With a surprise, Rick realized that it was still nicer than his own bathroom.

It didn’t smell of that oceanic shit Lori once bought and was fawning over even if Rick found the smell purely chemical, if not to say _toxic_. The bar of soap that was balanced precariously on the towel smelled faintly like flowers, but, above all, it smelled like soap, and Rick was more than happy to use it. He rinsed his hands with the water from the other bucket, pouring it over them with a cup left next to it and splashed some of it on his face. Feeling refreshed, he stepped out of the little bathroom and went to the kitchen.

 

__________

 

Daryl was just finishing scrambled eggs on bacon, turning the stove off and placing their breakfast on two plates, when he heard Rick getting out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. He turned around, a snarky remark about to leave his lips, when his voice suddenly left him.

Rick was standing in the doorway, hair all tousled up from sleep, his shirt unbuttoned at the top revealing a hint of Rick’s chest hair that Daryl had gotten a peek of the night before, when he had finally stepped into the guest room and left the water and the pills to a softly snoring man. There was also something burning in Rick’s eyes, something that told Daryl to put the plates he was holding down on the table. Once he did and looked back at the cop, now leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed in front of his chest, Daryl had to swallow hard. Rick was gorgeous, hot as hell with his hips cocked to the side, with his long legs crossed at the ankles.

And then Rick opened his mouth.

“Am I sober enough now?”

Daryl didn’t know what exactly snapped inside of him. Maybe it was his nerves finally giving way to the certainty that Rick really wanted him, as if he hadn’t had enough proof of that yet. Or maybe it was the arousal from the night before slamming back into him with the force of a speeding train. Whatever it was, it finally gave, and Daryl found himself in front of Rick in a flash. He grabbed Rick by his shirt and dragged him inside the kitchen, before he slammed his back against the nearest wall. All of that caveman shit be damned, because _fuck_ , he needed that guy and he needed him right fucking _now_.

Judging by the sound Rick made when Daryl smashed their lips together, he didn’t mind it one bit. Quite the opposite, he arched up into Daryl’s body that was pinning him to the wall, one leg wrapping around Daryl’s thigh as the cowboy kissed him with blind abandon. It wasn’t graceful and it was dirty, and Daryl realized that he couldn’t give a flying fuck about it right now. He had Rick pressed up against him, writhing in place and rubbing himself all over Daryl, and when Rick’s arms wrapped around his waist and tugged him even closer, Daryl was done for.

He pawed at Rick’s trousers, trying to open them blindly, succeeding after the third attempt. He drew Rick’s length out, stroking it gently, marvelling at how the heavy, steel-hard flesh felt in his hand. Rick made a keening sound somewhere in the back of his throat and Daryl swallowed it, along with a few frustrated groans when Rick tried to open Daryl’s pants. While Rick wrestled with Daryl’s belt and zipper, the cowboy took the opportunity to open Rick’s shirt completely and attach his mouth to one of his nipples. Rick jerked in response, hands faltering briefly, head falling back with a loud thud when it hit the wall.

“Jesus Christ” he hissed when Daryl bit at the hard nub, immediately sucking and licking to ease the sting of his teeth. Rick gasped when Daryl switched to the other side, giving it the same treatment, and Daryl could feel how Rick’s length jerked in his grasp.  
“Fuck, Daryl…” Daryl’s name was a broken moan on Rick’s lips, and it was enough to scramble Daryl’s brain completely. As soon as Rick managed to finally draw Daryl’s cock out of his underwear, he pushed Rick’s hand away, grabbing both of Rick’s wrists and tugging them up, over his head.

The position Rick found himself in, arms stretched over his head and a heavy body pressing into him, hips grinding against his own and sending little sparks of pleasure all down his spine, brought Rick back to his dream. He moaned loudly when Daryl grabbed both of his wrists with his left hand, while the other skimmed down Rick’s side, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.  
“Daryl… _Jesus…_ bedroom” he gritted out, because Daryl’s free hand landed on his ass and squeezed it in just the right way. But Daryl shook his head and licked a broad stripe from Rick’s collarbone up to his ear, before he sucked on his earlobe.  
“Can’t… later... wanted ya too much…” he rasped into Rick’s ear and wrapped his hand around both of their leaking cocks, starting to stroke hard and fast. Rick’s whole body arched as he strained against Daryl’s hold, but _god_ , it was absolutely fantastic.

Daryl’s fist was tight and warm, slick with how much both of them were leaking precome by now, and Rick opened his mouth, a whimper bubbling inside him escaping him in a hoarse cry of Daryl’s name. A series of small punched-out moans flew from Daryl’s lips and then it was over, as soon as it started, Daryl’s hot come splashing against Rick’s quivering abdomen as Daryl trembled against him. The chocolate-sweet little whimpers kicked Rick over the edge, too, and he followed Daryl soon after, the hand gripping their cocks together still moving in small little jerks, milking the pleasure from the both of them.

Daryl sagged against him, boneless and spent, a little happy sound escaping him when Rick brought both of his arms around Daryl’s shoulders and kept him close. It took a while to get their breaths back, their heaving chests gradually slowing down. Rick laughed quietly when Daryl started to mouth at his collarbone, Daryl’s scruffy beard tickling the sensitive skin. Daryl caught on and huffed out a laugh of his own, pulling away and looking at Rick.

“Good mornin’, _sheriff_ ” he dove in for a sweet kiss before Rick even had the chance to mumble a reply.  
“Mornin’, _cowboy_ ” Rick smiled up at him and Daryl had to step away, or those little happy crinkles around Rick’s eyes would prompt a round two before they even had a chance on getting some food.

“Breakfast?” Daryl asked, zipping himself up and sweeping over what little come was on his own belly, bringing his palm up and licking it off of his fingers.  
“Yes, please” Rick’s eyes followed every move of Daryl’s tongue over his palm and he could swear that if he had had a few years less of mileage, he would get hard again just from watching _that_. As it was, he looked down at himself, still unzipped and out, abdomen covered with the slowly cooling evidence of their fun, both his and Daryl’s because somehow most of it landed on him.

“Fuck, I need a shower…” he started but trailed off when Daryl scooted down on one knee before him and, in a few broad swipes of his wet, warm tongue, managed to clear most of the mess.  
“Nah, yer good” Daryl grinned as he stood up, taking in Rick’s dazed expression when he tucked him in and zipped his jeans back up. “Come on, I made eggs on bacon” and he tugged Rick to the table, seeing that Rick’s brain was as scrambled as the eggs on on their plates.

 

__________

 

As they ate their breakfast, Rick tried not to stare too much at Daryl, knowing he failed every time Daryl looked right back at him. But each time that happened, one of them would smile and look down at their plates again, and Rick had the feeling they were acting like a couple of teenagers. Not that he minded.

It was refreshing, really. After his, let’s face it, _boring_ relationship with Lori, feeling all giddy and happy just sitting next to Daryl was really nice. And the breakfast was really nice, too. And every little smirk that curled Daryl’s lips was more than nice. The only thing that wasn’t nice was a few places on Rick’s stomach where there were faint traces of their come drying up and making him scratch at it through his shirt.

Daryl didn’t get all of it with his tongue - and really, _holy fuck_ , but that was too hot for Rick’s brain to process so he filed the experience away for later - and it pulled at his skin and the sparse hair on his happy trail irritably every time he moved. Daryl must have seen his hand traveling to his belly rubbing it more than once, before he finally laughed quietly.  
“Man, ya need that shower, dontcha?” Daryl asked, voice having that lazy cadence to it that immediately told Rick it was all fine. He nodded at Daryl, watching him shovel the last bits off of his plate. “Alright, lemme get ya a towel” and with that, Daryl stood and disappeared somewhere in the other room, leaving Rick to finish his portion.

It took him a longer moment, but when Daryl returned, he was holding two fluffy towels and looking at Rick expectantly. Rick smiled, getting up and following Daryl outside. They circled the house, stopping in front of bushes that were about Rick’s height, one solitary tree growing proudly in the middle of them. They were dense, and Rick couldn’t really see anything through the leaves, so he looked at Daryl. The cowboy only smirked and led him around, showing him where there was a small path in between the branches. It looked as if someone had chopped their way through the bushes from the top to the ground and, at the end of the trail, there was a larger clearing with the tree bark clearly visible.

Rick turned to Daryl questioningly, but the only answer he got was a scoff and one of the towels landing on his shoulder.  
“I checked it earlier in the mornin’, there ain’t no rattlesnakes in there” Daryl said turning around as if he intended to walk away, but Rick grabbed his hand effectively stopping him.  
“You sure?” The question earned Rick a scoff but Daryl grinned at him anyway.  
“I can stay here, if ya want” he offered and Rick nodded in thanks.

He made his way through the bushes, just a few steps, and came to the little clearing between them. It was nice, and it was very cozy inside. The ground was lined with wooden planks that looked so old and humid that Rick didn’t worry about stepping on them and getting splinters. He threw his towel on the lowest branch of the tree and looked up, smiling when he spotted the shower.

It was really a small metal barrel with a garden hose coming into it at the top, and a shower head jammed into the bottom of it. Looking at it, Rick was instantly sure of two things. First, Daryl has made it himself, and second, it was perfect for having a warm shower outside with minimum effort. The barrel was high enough to catch sunlight above the bushes which warmed the water, while the hose filled the barrel with fresh one when its level dropped. Simple and perfect… _like Daryl himself_.

Rick startled a bit at his last thought and shook his head, trying to clear it. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to fall into another serious relationship so soon after Lori, so he pushed those thoughts away. Instead, he started to undress, chucking his clothes on the same branch he had put his towel on. After he was done, he started the water, sighing when the almost hot stream cascaded down his back, and looked around himself.

Placed under one of the bushes, there was a bottle of shower gel. Rick frowned when he picked up the pink container, opening it and inhaling carefully. With the ink on the labels nearly non-existent from water and sun, Rick couldn’t really tell what did it smell like before he opened the bottle. Going by the color, he would say some kind of flowers. Or maybe candies. Hell, even bubble-gum wasn’t out of equation, the shade of pink was almost alarming. When Rick finally smelled it, he closed his eyes and grinned.

Strawberries.

Fucking _strawberries_. Rick didn’t know if it was just his luck, or was Daryl that good, but he accidentally picked a shower gel smelling like Rick’s favorite fruit. Lori had always bought that oceanic-scented shit she put everywhere which made Rick cringe. But Daryl’s shower gel smelled like if it had been made from real strawberries, sweet but without a trace of chemical additions, and while Rick knew it wasn’t exactly possible, his heart still did a happy little flop.

He grabbed a soft, fluffy cloth from two that were laid out next to the bottle. It looked unused and Rick assumed it was left here for him specifically. He poured a generous amount on it and started to scrub himself clean.

 

__________

 

Daryl always thought he was a patient man. He was a hunter, and he was a rancher, and it took a lot to break his usually calm surface. That is, until he met Rick fucking Grimes, sheriff extraordinaire, with a face of an angel and a body made of sin.

He waited patiently outside the bushes just like Rick had asked him to, stealing little glimpses here and there, the clearing easily visible if he angled himself in the right way. When Rick smiled at his shower, Daryl felt something warm spread through him. When he smelled the shower gel and smiled even wider, something inside Daryl’s chest jumped happily.

When Rick started to wash his body, Daryl felt like if he had caught fire.

Every single swipe of Rick’s hand over his skin made Daryl shiver, every little shift of Rick’s muscles, visible under his milky-white skin making Daryl’s hands twitch, and when Rick finally lathered up his hair and arched his head back to rinse it, Daryl was done for.

 

__________

 

Rick was almost finished, squeaky clean thanks to Daryl’s fluffy washcloth, when he decided to wash his hair on a whim. He poured a bit more gel in his hand and lathered up his curls, trying not to take too long in case Daryl wanted to take a shower, too. Just when he rinsed his hair and was about to turn the water off, he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around him from behind.

He jumped, startled, but a “shhh” rasped straight into his ear settled him down quickly. Rick craned his neck to the side, spotting Daryl behind him, fully clothed and pressing into his back.  
“You’ll get all wet” he mumbled, knowing Daryl didn’t really care, seeing as he ground his hips into Rick’s ass, the soaked material of his jeans rubbing against Rick’s cheeks and thighs. He could feel that Daryl was hard inside his pants and he sighed when Daryl pulled away slightly, arms loosening but still encircling Rick’s waist.  
“Should I go?” Daryl asked, and something hesitant in his voice made Rick turn slightly to the side and pull him into a slow and filthy kiss.

“Don’t you dare” Rick whispered when they broke apart and Daryl tightened his hold on him, head dropping to Rick’s shoulder. He placed a trail of soft kisses over Rick’s wet skin, hands squeezing once, before they started to travel all over Rick’s stomach and chest, rubbing at his nipples and traveling lower, to Rick’s hips. He pushed up into Daryl’s touch, then pressed back, grinding his ass against Daryl’s crotch, groaning quietly when Daryl’s hips bucked up into him. That slow dance lasted for a longer moment, enough to make Rick’s head pleasantly light, as his cock grew hard and heavy between his legs. Daryl hadn’t even touched it, hands skimming instead over Rick’s sides, his hipbones, where Daryl thumbed the skin roughly, melting Rick’s brain away.

Rick brought one hand back over his shoulder, grabbing blindly for Daryl’s neck, but it landed on Daryl’s shirt and Rick tugged on it impatiently. They were both wet, and there was really no need for the clothes. Rick felt Daryl’s grin pressed into his shoulder blade, and then the cowboy stepped back and started to undress, the sounds of his wet clothes plopping down to the ground sending shivers down Rick’s spine that had nothing to do with the water turning cold above them.

He reached with one hand and turned the shower off, shuddering when a waft of air blew over his body. Rick was about to turn around again and tell Daryl to get back to him and leave the fumbling with his trousers that Rick could hear for later, but Daryl was already walking up behind him again. One arm sneaked its way around Rick’s waist and he sighed happily when it tightened its hold, tugging him back to rub over Daryl’s steel-hard cock. And then Daryl tapped something against Rick’s hipbone and he looked down.

“Yeah?” Daryl asked in a low voice, the sound of it so raspy Rick could barely make the word out. He looked down at a little bottle of lube Daryl was showing him and swallowed heavily just to get the words out.

“Yeah… just…” he closed his eyes, feeling Daryl freeze behind him. And then Daryl leaned to the side and cradled Rick’s face in his palm, turning it to make Rick face him.  
“Just what?”  
“It’s been a while…” Rick opened his eyes and had to resist the urge to drop his gaze down at the hungry yet still soft expression Daryl wore.  
“I won’t hurt ya” Daryl gruffed out and Rick was certain that if he called it off here and now, Daryl wouldn’t be mad.

Rick would be mad at _himself_ , that’s for sure. The man was all fire and passion, but he was also so careful with Rick… So Rick resolutely nodded his head and placed a quick kiss on Daryl’s lips.  
“I know.”

“Turn around” Daryl instructed, opening the lube. Rick turned around and braced his hands on the tree, leaning a bit forward and pushing his ass out. He heard a growl and smiled to himself, mouth falling open when he felt Daryl’s hands land on his ass and squeeze it gently, parting his cheeks. Daryl hummed, a quiet and pleased hum, and licked up Rick’s spine, his tongue leaving a hot trail in its wake.

Rick’s back arched, ass sticking out even more, and he moaned when Daryl licked his skin again, from the dip of Rick’s backside up to his neck. He then proceeded to kiss his way back down, stopping briefly at Rick’s hips, giving two sucking and licking kisses on both sides of Rick’s spine, and Rick had a brief thought of Daryl pressing his lips to the little dimples he had there, before his brain was wiped out clean when those lips slowly traveled even lower. Rick moaned, his rapidly heating up face falling to one shoulder as Daryl continued his descent, and _oh shit, he wouldn’t…_

It turned out that Daryl _would_ , and Daryl _did_. His hot lips stopped just over Rick’s tailbone, and Rick could feel a few warm pants wafting over his skin and making all his hair stand on end, before a small, wet lick of Daryl’s tongue landed perfectly on his opening. He jolted, his whole body coming to life under that small caress, and Rick couldn’t help the whimper that escaped him. He had never felt so exposed and so ridiculously aroused at the same time. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears and he could feel Daryl’s hands pulling his ass even more open, and he was helpless to stop the swarm of sensations that invaded his frying brain.

He wanted Daryl inside him, he wanted that magical, sexy, rough rancher to fuck him until he couldn’t see straight. He wanted to force his throat to work again and tell all of that to Daryl. But instead, what came out of his slack mouth was a curse, jumbled together with Daryl’s name, and another whimper when Daryl started to lick into him.  
“Fuck… Daryl!” Those were the only words he could process, as Daryl’s tongue dove deep inside him, fucking him in a filthy imitation of what Daryl wanted to do to Rick with other parts of his body. Rick cursed and moaned through it, not sure if he wanted the sweet torture to end or to go on forever.

Daryl decided for him and, with one last lick, he stood up, draping himself over Rick’s back and immediately leaning over Rick’s shoulder to kiss his ear. The arm around Rick’s waist was back, but mercifully, Daryl didn’t even try to touch Rick’s cock, hard and hot between his legs. Rick was glad, going by the way he was throbbing and leaking, it wouldn’t take much for him to explode.

Something cold and slick landed on the top of his ass, right between the cheeks, and Rick groaned when it dribbled down to his sensitive opening. And then Daryl’s fingers were there, smearing the lube all over his hole messily, before the tip of one of them dipped inside carefully. Rick’s body took the reins in the absence of his brain, and his hips shifted back, making the finger slip just a bit deeper in. He felt Daryl’s quiet growl reverberating all through his own chest, and he pushed a bit more, earning a heated “ _Fuck_ ” mumbled into his shoulder.

Daryl started to move his finger, slowly and deliberately, rubbing at Rick’s walls and driving him crazy with the tingling sensation that was spreading through his body. Another finger followed when Daryl deemed Rick relaxed enough, diving deep inside him, stretching his body in all the right ways. Daryl corkscrewed his fingers, adding just the right amount of pressure, and Rick was sure he was going to die right there and then. The pleasure was simply too much, and not just the insistent rubbing that left his nerves all hot and sparkling, but also the sounds Daryl made. It was as if Rick’s groans and whimpers brought out Daryl’s own, each of the wild sounds made by Rick answered with one of Daryl’s, like a strange echo vibrating between them.

When the third finger made an appearance, sneaking its way inside him and making him hiss quietly, Rick had a hard time of stopping himself from begging. His skin was wet with water, or maybe was it his own sweat? He didn’t care. Daryl made sure he was stretched enough for what was to come, and while Rick was grateful for the sentiment, he felt as if he could explode any second from the sheer suspense of it all. Especially when he felt Daryl’s fingers crook down a bit, searching for something…

“ _Holy fuuuck!_ ” He hissed, teeth gritted together, one hand shooting to wrap around the base of his dick to stop himself from coming, because that was _too fucking good_ not to. Between Daryl’s filthy caresses and all the teasing, Rick had almost forgotten about _that_ part of his anatomy. A part that was now being rubbed mercilessly by Daryl’s clever fingers, as if he really tried to drive Rick insane right then and there.

“ _Please…_ Daryl, _fuck_ , please, just get inside me _now_ ” Rick managed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath when Daryl’s fingers stilled and withdrew from him. There was silence, filled only with their heavy breathing and slick sounds of lube when Daryl prepared himself. And then the broad head of Daryl’s cock was pressing against Rick, slipping inside and _oh fuck_ , but he was _huge_.

Another incoherent whimper escaped Rick’s lips as his body tried to adjust, Daryl’s three fingers able to only stretch him that far, but Rick was determined to get all of Daryl inside. And so he licked his lips and pushed back when Daryl stopped for a moment, burying the hot length inside him to the hilt. Daryl gave a dangerous growl as his hands spasmed on Rick’s hips, fingers gripping Rick’s flesh with enough strength to leave marks. Rick really liked that idea…

It took them a moment, but finally Daryl started to move, slow at first, each of the powerful thrusts adding to the fire burning deep inside Rick’s body. He threw one hand over his shoulder, smiling to himself when Daryl pressed his head into it, rasping obscenities when Rick’s fingers caught in his hair and tugged at it. A short moment later the smile was wiped from Rick’s face, and all he could do was to try and gulp in air through his slack mouth. Daryl draped himself over Rick’s back, making him lean over a little more, hands almost hugging the damn shower-tree, while Daryl’s hips picked up the pace. A bit more leaning over, Daryl adjusting behind him, and Rick could feel himself rapidly nearing the edge when the position gave Daryl a perfect angle to pound his sweet spot.

And pound Daryl did, hitting his prostate dead-on, one hand wrapping around Rick’s neglected cock and jerking him off to the rhythm of his hips.  
“Come on, _sheriff_ ” Daryl growled into his ear, biting it and twisting his hand _just so_ , and Rick was lost. He came with a whimper that was supposed to be Daryl’s name, his body jerking erratically in Daryl’s grasp, as the cowboy fucked him through it, whitening out Rick’s vision with pleasure.

Rick’s hands scrambled against the bark of the tree, and he tried to push back against Daryl, but the man suddenly stilled. Rick blinked, feeling the throbbing length still hot and hard inside him. He wanted to open his mouth and say something, but in the next second, Daryl was withdrawing from him, leaving him open and empty, tearing a groan out of him when the steel-hard flesh rubbed at his tender entrance. Strong hands grabbed Rick’s arms and spun him around and in the next moment, Rick found himself pushed against the tree with two armfuls of enamored cowboy and his hard dick digging into Rick’s belly.

Daryl’s mouth attacked Rick’s lips and he moaned into the kiss, sloppy and uncoordinated, as he felt one of the hands pinning him to the tree travel down and around Daryl’s cock. He started to jerk himself off in fast, uneven strokes, the desperation pouring out of him in waves that went straight through Rick’s own body. He held Daryl close, feeling how his whole body bucked in Rick’s grasp, how his muscles twitched the closer he got to his release. Rick licked his lips.

“Come on, _cowboy_ , give it to me” Rick whispered and Daryl’s head arched back suddenly, eyes closing and mouth falling open. He spilled between them, his whole body tense for a second before it relaxed and a strangled groan came out from deep in his chest. He was still coming when Rick cradled his head against his shoulder, shivering when Daryl’s warm breath washed over his collarbone. They stood there for a long moment, trying to calm down their rapid heartbeats and cool down a little, before Daryl finally pulled away.

He eyed Rick, smirking when he spotted the undoubtedly stupid simile plastered all over Rick’s face and turned the shower back on, making Rick yelp and jump when the water hit his overheated skin.  
“Oh come on, it’s warm again” Daryl huffed out with a laugh, bending to get the shower gel and the soft washcloth from the ground, gaze focused on him. Rick used the time to marvel at the man’s arms, at the well defined muscles shifting just under Daryl’s skin, before he got entranced with Daryl’s eyes.

When Daryl got closer to him and started to clean Rick’s skin with the strawberry-scented foam once again, he found that he really didn’t mind the water being barely lukewarm. He hissed quietly when the fluffy material traced over his abused hole, but Daryl’s arms encircled him immediately, and it was all _fine_. So fine, in fact, that when they finally managed to finish their shower, Rick thought he could get used to it.

 

__________

 

They spent the rest of the day together, goofing around on Daryl’s couch. Daryl showed Rick the house some more, telling him a bit about his plans regarding the old building and its renovation. Rick found it utterly fascinating that one man could do so much with only his two hands, not to mention the future plans for this place. The house tour couldn’t really be finished without checking in at the stable, and so, Daryl led Rick inside.

Rick immediately recognized [the black beast](http://onehdwallpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Black-Horse-Desktop-Wallpapers.jpg) Daryl liked to ride on and [the one](http://orig02.deviantart.net/8899/f/2013/309/8/1/bay_tobiano_paint_horse_1_by_venomxbaby-d6t6q2b.jpg) Rick rode himself to the fence. Only when he walked up to their boxes did it occur to him that he didn’t ask Daryl how were they named.  
“What’s his name?” He asked, stroking the black mane of Daryl’s pretty impressive steed.  
“That one’s Python” Daryl said, walking closer and placing his hand on the horse’s head as well.  
“And the one I rode on?” Rick asked, glancing in the direction of the tobiano girl, sticking her head out of her box and gazing at him curiously. She was barely a step away from them and if Rick reached his hand he could give her a pat as well.  
“That’s Horton.”  
“ _Horton?_ That’s not ladylike” Rick huffed out a laugh and Daryl smirked.

“Well… she ain’t very ladylike either… see?” he nodded behind Rick and, as if on a clue, he felt Horton pushing the back of his head with her gigantic nose and trying to nibble at his hair. Rick almost shrieked, barely containing himself and ducking away. Daryl laughed, that short, barking laugh of his, but he patted the horse away. “Now be nice, I’m the only one who gets to do that” and the way Daryl said that made something warm and suspiciously not feeling like arousal spread through his insides and lodge itself deeply in his chest. He cleared his throat and looked at Daryl.  
“Did you just call dibs on eating me?” He smiled and Daryl scoffed. A quiet ‘ _shut up_ ’ followed, but he still wrapped one arm around Rick’s waist and tugged him in for a sweet little kiss.

Python stomped in place seeing that, and Horton nickered at them, and for Rick it sounded strangely as if he had gotten the blessing from both of them. He couldn’t stop the goofy smile that spread on his lips once they parted for air, not that he really wanted to. Daryl had to probably take him as a nut case by now, seeing all the smiles plastered on Rick’s face all the time. But he didn’t care. He was actually happy for once and he really _didn’t care_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The shower that appears in this story is based on a true shower my uncle owns. Being a kid I always marveled at how wonderfully simple and efficient it is, so I can wholeheartedly recommend it.


	3. I’m going to drink till I get my fill

Rick went back to his house on Saturday evening, barely even making it through the threshold before he realized that he missed Daryl already. But there was nothing to be done about it, besides, he thought that his crush was getting a bit out of control. He wasn’t sure why, but Daryl, the squinting, gruffy cowboy, rough around the edges and so wild sometimes, managed to lodge himself permanently somewhere inside Rick’s chest.

And it was supposed to be just a quick relief and nothing more.

Rick shook his head forcefully, stepping under his own shower, trying hard to bring back the smell of strawberries he was met with at Daryl’s in his mind. But it was no use, the illusion vanished as soon as he opened his own bottle of shower gel. He turned the water off and got out, angrily tossing the bottle into a small bin in the corner of the bathroom. He dried himself up and tumbled into his bed. It wasn’t like he _needed_ a shower, but he thought that hot water could somehow ease the ache in his muscles.

And it wasn’t even that certain parts of his anatomy hurt after what they got up to at Daryl’s place. That was the welcome burn that reminded him about all the good things, really. It was just that sometime ago, Rick had noticed that his shoulders hurt a lot. At first, it had only been the left one and he had associated it with the shooting, even if the wound had been almost at the bottom of his ribs. But later, the pain had spread all through his back and to his other shoulder, and Rick really didn’t know what it had been. He had been too tired to actually go and see a doctor about it, so he had tried to forget about it. Now the pain was back and he wished he had Daryl nearby. Rick would bet he could convince the cowboy to give him a massage.

Smiling to himself at his thoughts, Rick rolled himself up in the blanket and closed his eyes. He had to go for a little shopping on Sunday, just some grocery, since his fridge mostly contained light right now, and he was really looking forward to it. Especially when he knew that the market he wanted to visit had a well supplied cosmetics alley.

 

__________

 

Rick strolled down the cosmetics alley for the third time. He was getting irritated. He must have smelled about five hundred shower gels by now and there still wasn’t one that smelled quite like Daryl’s did. He picked up another one, just to growl at it and put it back down, a bit more forcefully than intended. How was it even possible that there were no strawberry gels out here?

He eyed the shelves again, thinking hard. Granted, there would probably be none in the men’s section, but he had been combing through the women’s for the past half an hour and still _nothing_. He was slowly getting restless.

The problem was, Rick didn’t even know the brand of the gel Daryl had, because the labels were all washed off, so all that Rick had was the pink container in his mind and the sweet strawberry scent still in his nose. He turned around and started to search every bottle that even remotely looked like the one Daryl had. After another half an hour with no results, Rick finally gave up and strolled on. He looked to the side on a whim, spotting something pink from the corner of his eye and frowned. Walked closer. Blinked.

There, jammed between something that looked like Winnie the Pooh and a strange looking turtle, stood a pink bottle with cartoon characters printed all over the label.

Rick blinked rapidly again, a slow smile spreading across his lips. He gingerly took the bottle, and sighed happily when it’s shape turned out to be exactly the same as the one still sitting in his brain. Opening it and sniffing carefully only confirmed that Rick finally found what he had been looking for. He closed it back and looked at it, eyes narrowing. It was pink. Pink in that candy-sweet little-girls-love-it way, and it had cartoon ponies, _fucking ponies_ , all over it. A blue one, a green one, a _pink_ one… Rick shrugged, chugging the gel into the cart with a quiet “well, fuck it” that got him a small cough from a shop assistant that was cleaning the shelves behind him, and walked on.

He visited the grocery section, then the meat section, trying hard to ignore how he checked half of the labels to identify what color the animal was. Of course nobody had written _that_ on the labels, and so, he decided to leave it be, opting instead to buy some fish.

It took him a longer moment standing in the line, so he used that time to see what they had placed on the small shelves near the check out. He spotted lube, jammed between batteries and chewing gum, and decided to take some, too. He squinted at the label, trying hard to talk himself out of buying a strawberry flavored one, when he felt someone’s eyes on him. He craned his neck to the side, spotting a little old lady glaring daggers at him just above her own shopping cart. He swallowed, face heating up, and he quickly placed the bottle on the conveyor belt. He tried not to turn around again and say something stupid, even if he could feel the grandma drilling holes in his back. The line was moving quickly, though, and he didn’t have to wait long for his turn.

The cashier didn’t comment on the strawberry lube, thankfully, but she did toss him a cheeky grin spotting the shower gel.  
“You’ve got a girl? That’s cute” Rick just stared at her, not really able to catch the meaning, until he heard the rest. “How old is she?” Now he just blinked at her, mind going offline for a moment, before his brain actually caught up.   
“Ah! No… I don’t… Eh” if Rick had been blushing before, he was positively glowing red now. He shook his head, giving the girl behind the register his most polite smile. “Can I pay with card, please?”

She nodded, a bit displeased that her attempts didn’t get her anywhere, and Rick sighed as he jammed in his pin number. He was eager to get home finally, so he quickly packed his shopping and walked out, the heavy burn of the little old lady’s gaze following him to the door.

 

__________

 

The Sunday and Monday were both pretty boring, Rick’s job taking most of his time on Monday, even if there were no new cases. The case of the mysterious fence devastator was on hold for now, at least until something new happened, so Rick had no other job but to patrol the streets and write some speeding tickets. He came home on Monday and decided to have a bit of time for himself. It was late afternoon and the weather was fine, so he pulled out his garden chair and settled into it with one of the books he had started to read while in the hospital.

He was halfway through the sixth chapter when something caught his attention. He looked up from his book, the lawn he was sitting on giving him a fine view of the street in front of his house. He quirked one eyebrow when he spotted a big silver jeep parked on the curb just next to his driveway. He put the book down and watched, interested as to why someone would park their car there.

Then the door opened and the driver got out and Rick couldn’t contain the small laughter that escaped him. Daryl fucking Dixon, because who else could that be? The cowboy jumped out of his silver beast of a car and walked over to Rick, all cowboy hat and sass. Rick smiled, looking up and shielding his eyes from the last rays of the slowly setting sun.   
“Didn’t know you own a car” he joked, watching Daryl’s mouth quirk up a bit.   
“Ya can’t really ride a horse in the town” Daryl countered, looking down at him. “How are ya doin?”

Rick blinked, because that was unexpected, but he would lie if he said he wasn’t happy.   
“I’m good, what brought you here?” Rick asked, and immediately wanted to facepalm himself. The way Daryl shrugged and darted his eyes to the side told him just how unplanned it was.   
“Was just getting back from the town… saw ya” he trailed off, one hand going up to his mouth as he started to bite at his thumbnail. Rick cursed himself, because hell, he was so _happy_ to see the man.   
“Got some time for a couple of cold ones?” He offered, fully expecting Daryl to just refuse and drive away. It would be a shame, really.

To Rick’s utter delight, the cowboy grunted out a quiet “sure” and gave him a small nod. Rick had to really control himself not to just jump out of the chair and do a little happy dance right there on his lawn. He led them both inside, showing Daryl to the living room and walking to the kitchen, grabbing two beers and an ashtray. He gave Daryl a beer and placed the ashtray on the coffee table, motioning for Daryl to sit down. Had Lori still been living here, she would have killed him for letting Daryl smoke inside the house. Rick found he didn’t mind that much, not if it was Daryl smoking.

“Ya used to smoke?” Daryl eyed the ashtray as he opened the beer and Rick shook his head.   
“Nah, got it from a neighbor for the housewarming party” he took a sip of his own beer and plopped down on the couch next to Daryl. “Didn’t do much to warm it up” he grumbled under his breath as an afterthought, and Daryl barked out a quiet laugh, making Rick grin in the process. He fumbled with the remote, turning on the tv just to discover that apparently Daryl liked football. They sipped at their beer and commented on the match that was currently on, and Rick could easily admit that he really liked this version of evening.

Halfway through the match, Rick’s shoulders gave a painful twinge when he tried to reposition himself on the couch, and he winced, one hand going up and trying to work the kink out.   
“Ya alright?” Daryl eyed him, because, of course they ended up almost pressed together, and every small jolt in Rick’s body would travel through Daryl’s, too.   
“I’m fine… it’s just my shoulder…” Rick trailed off with a hiss when his fingers squeezed a bit too hard on the tense muscle. Daryl grunted something and leaned down to place his beer on the table.   
“Come ‘ere” he moved his knees wider apart and nodded at Rick.

Rick blinked but followed, sitting on the carpet between Daryl’s splayed thighs, turning so his lower back rested against the edge of the seat. When Daryl’s hands landed on top of his shoulders, Rick felt a shiver flow down his spine and he had to tell himself _down boy_ , because really, what was it with him and acting like a fucking teenager? But as soon as Daryl’s fingers started to work on him, Rick’s breath hitched and all the arousal flew away. Fuck, it _hurt_. Every muscle in his shoulders and back was pulled tight and when Daryl dug his fingertips into them, Rick hissed out a curse.

“Yer too tense” Daryl informed him helpfully, kneading at the muscles to loosen them up a bit. It was a slow and painful progress, but eventually, Rick could feel his body relax bit by tiny bit. Daryl murmured something else, but Rick couldn’t really pay attention to it over how good it felt to have Daryl’s hands on his skin, doing their magic. When Daryl moved his touch from Rick’s shoulders to his back, Rick actually groaned, feeling the now familiar short twinge of pain and the tingling release following it.

“Ya should relax more, Rick… go out for a beer or two” Daryl huffed out above him and Rick hummed at that.   
“I have beer, right here” he shook the half-empty can in his palm, taking a careful sip.   
“Nah, I mean… out, a night with buddies, something like that. Yer too stressed out” Daryl continued to move his fingers, massaging Rick into a happy puddle of melted happiness.   
“Buddies? Don’t have much of them” Rick frowned. Well, he used to have a few, it’s just that it all went blast after his divorce.

“Usually it would be me and Shane…”  
“Shane? The guy who…”   
“Yup” Rick took another gulp of his beer, trying not to think about his former partner. After Shane had slept with Lori, Rick wanted to have nothing in common with that piece of shit.   
“That sucks… But ya know” Daryl’s hands slowed down on his back a bit, a few little rubs that felt more like a caress than like a massage. They soon went back to Rick’s shoulders, working them over once again, this time in broad, sure swipes. “Ya can always visit me, ya know?” Daryl rasped, and suddenly his mouth was very close to Rick’s ear.

Rick swallowed hard.   
“Yeah? And what would we be doing?” He asked, arching his head back to look at Daryl. The cowboy was hunched over him, sitting a bit closer to the edge than Rick remembered, and the slight bow in Rick’s neck placed his head directly in Daryl’s lap. The hands kneading his shoulders froze and Rick chose the moment to rub the back of his head all over Daryl’s groin, feeling him harden under the thick layer of denim. The little pant that flowed out of Daryl’s mouth made something sparkle inside Rick’s own body and he grinned up at the man.

“Wanna do something about it?” He asked cheekily, watching Daryl try to swallow down whatever noise was bubbling in his throat, his narrow eyes glinting with something fiery.   
“What d’ya have in mind?” Daryl asked, voice almost a growl that sent shivers all through Rick’s body. He carefully turned around and kissed Daryl slowly, as dirty as he could manage, his tongue slipping in and rubbing against Daryl’s suggestively. He felt more than heard the moan that answered him and broke the kiss, getting up. “Come on” he nodded in the direction of his bedroom. He got up and started walking, licking his lips when he heard the telltale squeak of his couch as Daryl stood up to follow him.

Rick didn’t even get a chance to open the door, before there were two arms sneaking their way around his waist and tugging him against Daryl’s front. Lips landed on Rick’s shoulder, hot enough to feel even through the material of his shirt, and he tossed his head back helplessly as he tried to work out the door knob. Daryl started to place small little kisses up his neck and suddenly it felt so good Rick arched his whole body back, ass pressing against Daryl’s hips and making them both groan. They tumbled into the bed, somehow managing to get off all their clothes, and the next thing Rick knew, he was kissing and licking his way down Daryl’s body, shivering and hot under his exploring tongue.

Once he got to Daryl’s cock, hard and twitching against his abdomen, Rick lowered his head over it. Blowing carefully on the heated flesh, he made Daryl’s hips buck up, and he smiled when he licked just the tip of it, a barely-there touch which tore a long moan from Daryl’s throat. He looked up at Daryl, grinning mischievously, and licked him again, this time starting at the base and going all the way up to the head. Daryl arched off the bed, a quiet “Fuck, Rick” escaping him, before he sagged back down, the fire burning in his eyes now making Rick all hot inside.   
“Turn around” Rick whispered, pressing a small kiss to Daryl’s hipbone and lifting himself up. He stretched over Daryl, rummaging in the bedside table drawer to grab the strawberry lube he had bought.

He had tried it earlier on himself, after one of the dreams he had been having recently, and was pleasantly surprised that the lube not only smelled of strawberries, but tasted like them, too. He showed the bottle to Daryl when he was turning around and the cowboy nodded at him, settling on the bed on his stomach. Rick got back behind him, fitting himself nicely between Daryl’s parted legs and looked up at the expanse of tanned skin stretched out before him.

For a moment, Rick froze. Daryl’s back was riddled with scars. Long and thick, and so white they were probably very old. He tentatively raised his hand and smoothed it up Daryl’s skin, seeing as Daryl looked at him from the corner of his eye. And then, because he didn’t want to make Daryl uncomfortable with the pause, he leaned over him, mouth going to Daryl’s ear.   
“It’s okay” he whispered, taking the lobe between his lips and sucking at it, earning a low groan from Daryl. And it really was. If Daryl didn’t want to talk about it, then Rick wouldn’t bring it up. It wasn’t important, and whatever caused this, Rick didn’t think it mattered now, anyway. Daryl wasn’t trying to cover himself, he rather looked annoyed at the interruption, so Rick squeezed out a bit of the lube, all the time worrying Daryl’s ear with his lips and teeth.

He scooted a bit lower as he proceeded to lick and kiss at Daryl’s neck, the sweet strawberry scent filling the air around them, and he brought his lubed finger to Daryl’s entrance. He rubbed at the small opening, not pressing in yet, but smearing the lube all over Daryl’s hole. Rick continued to kiss and lick Daryl’s skin, revealing in the quiet groans and the slight bucking of Daryl’s hips when he grew impatient. Rick held on to the slow pace, kissing his way down Daryl’s back, pressing his lips to each and every scar he could find, massaging Daryl’s tight pucker with his fingers, dipping just the very tips inside before he withdrew them again.

“I thought ya… _fuck…_ ya wanted to _do something_ , Rick” Daryl rasped, raising his head from the pillow, just as Rick ended his descent with a kiss on Daryl’s tail bone. He hadn’t done any of this since the academy, but he remembered a thing or two. In fact, he was eager to find out just how much he remembered.   
“Oh, I am” he whispered into Daryl’s skin, scooting lower and positioning himself more comfortably.

The first touch of Rick’s tongue made Daryl freeze. It was just a kitten-like lick, a blink-and-you-miss-it thing that still managed to scorch Daryl’s brain completely. Another one followed, this time broader and longer, licking him from his perineum up to the tailbone.   
“ _Oh fuck…_ ” Daryl could only open his mouth and gulp in a few desperate breaths, before Rick dove in, licking at his hole like a man starving. The tongue traced around his hole and licked across it, driving Daryl completely mad with pleasure. And there was also the tingling sensation left by Rick’s beard which scratched over the sensitive skin of his cheeks, which scratched _between them_ if Rick angled his head _just so_ , and _fuck,_ but Daryl couldn’t even think right now.

He felt Rick’s tongue and beard disappear for a moment, and he was ready to whine out his protest, cool air wafting over his oversensitive skin, but the next second, there was the squelching sound of lube as more of it landed on him. Daryl moaned, his head falling down, because Rick’s hot tongue was back, licking all over him and _into_ him, and the beard scratched _just right_ and _Christ_ , he was sure he was going to die right there and then. It shouldn’t be possible to feel so much, he thought, as Rick hummed, pushing his tongue as far as it would go, stretching Daryl’s hole in the best way possible.

When he first licked at Daryl’s opening, Rick was entranced with how it felt under his tongue. Daryl wasn’t a hairy guy, the hair was sparse and it tickled at his tongue as he pressed it in broad swipes to Daryl’s hole. The taste of strawberries exploded in his mouth and he couldn’t help himself, but drizzle out more lube, closing his eyes in delight when he pressed his face back between Daryl’s cheeks. He pushed the lube inside with his tongue, the warmth and the tightness of Daryl’s body making Rick’s own cock jerk where it hung heavy and leaking between his legs. Once he was satisfied with the amount of slick he managed to push inside Daryl, he started to slowly lick it out of him, groaning at how well Daryl’s natural musky scent went with the sweetness of strawberries.

“So _sweet_ ” Rick gruffed out, almost laughing at his own pun. Hearing Daryl’s growl, Rick was sure that Daryl would smack him over the head with the pillow, if he hadn’t been gripping it for dear life. He needed a breath, so he pulled away slightly, placing his cheek on one side of Daryl’s ass and brought his fingers to the now loosened opening. He pushed two of them in gently, delighting in the moan he provoked out of Daryl, and closed his eyes, nuzzling into Daryl’s skin. When a full-body shiver shook Daryl, Rick’s eyes popped open. He looked up at his lover, scratching his beard over his skin again. Daryl moaned, pushing his ass back into Rick. Now _that_ was interesting.

Rick knew his beard was scratchy, he could still remember how Lori hated it. It was the main reason he had been shaving every day. Now he had a full beard growing, though, thanks to his recent not-caring about such things. And when Daryl reacted like that…

Rick pressed one more kiss to Daryl’s skin and gave a small lick to where his fingers disappeared inside of that hot, tight ass. And then he started to rub his beard all over Daryl’s ass, listening to a series of small, punched-out moans that escaped Daryl’s lips. The harder he pressed his jaw to Daryl’s flesh, the more urgent the sounds were, and soon, Daryl was whimpering into the pillow, ass pushing back against Rick’s face, as Rick nuzzled between his cheeks, down to his balls and back up, taking his fingers out and spreading Daryl’s cheeks open with a sure grip. The way Daryl whimpered and moaned every time Rick grazed at his opening with his stubble made Rick’s body positively pulse with arousal, and he was sure he wouldn’t last long once they made it to the main part. But he couldn’t help himself to listen to those sounds a moment longer, dragging his beard through all the lube at Daryl’s entrance that was now a deep pink color, all puffy and sensitive.

With one last lick, Rick pulled away, a long groan of protest following the action, and he wasted no time in spreading himself on top of Daryl, draping himself all over that muscular back. Daryl gave another quiet moan when Rick’s cock nudged between his cheeks, precome slicking him even more, adding to the mess of lube and saliva that was already there. Rick could feel his whole body tighten when he rubbed the head of his length over the tiny opening, the warmth radiating off of Daryl enough to make Rick’s head swim. He shifted his hips a bit to position himself better but in the exact same moment Daryl bucked up and just the tip of Rick’s cock slipped in.

“Daryl…” He breathed into Daryl’s neck, lips sliding over it, mouthing at the sweaty skin.   
“Go on” came the raspy reply, Daryl’s hips rocking back, pressing into Rick, letting his length to slip an inch deeper. It was Rick’s turn to whimper, Daryl was so tight and hot, Rick could barely move not to shoot his load. Not wanting the fun to be over so soon, he settled on nuzzling into Daryl’s shoulder, both arms wrapping around Daryl’s muscular chest as he let himself sink all the way in slowly. Daryl grunted and shifted underneath him, muscles fluttering and clenching around Rick’s length, before he relaxed.

Rick started to move, steady, long thrusts, listening intently to any sound of discomfort. But the only sounds falling from Daryl’s open mouth were those little encouraging moans, and soon, Rick found himself kicking up the pace, bracing himself over Daryl’s body on his hands, bending down to lick and nip at those beautiful shoulders. When Rick lifted himself up a bit, giving Daryl some room to move, the cowboy started to rock his hips, too, matching Rick thrust for thrust, and moan for moan. Rick never would have suspected that Daryl would be so loud in bed. _Hell_ , he didn’t know how loud he could be _himself_. But he was enjoying it, every punched-out gasp, every tiny aborted moan, all the pleasure spreading through them and threatening to consume them whole.

It wasn’t long before they were both sweaty, Rick pounding into Daryl, feeling the edge getting closer and closer. Suddenly, Daryl’s body tensed underneath him, Daryl’s head arching back, almost hitting Rick in the face. The cowboy gave a short shout of “Rick!” as he came, squeezing around Rick’s length. The momentary tightness, the jerking of Daryl’s body, and the small helpless moans were too much for Rick. He pushed in one, two, three times and came, too, muffling his own groan into Daryl’s trembling shoulder, hips rocking erratically as his body rode out the waves of pleasure.

Rick sighed as he collapsed where he was, his muscles no longer listening to his brain. He was aware that he was probably squashing Daryl beneath him, but Daryl didn’t look like he minded much, humming contentedly and bringing one hand back to thread his fingers through Rick’s sweaty curls. Rick dragged his lips over the nape of Daryl’s neck, attempting to kiss it, but managing only to slide against it lazily, brain too fucked out to care. They took their time getting back to reality, and when Rick finally moved, Daryl gave out a displeased groan.

“Come back, ‘m cold now” Daryl mumbled into the pillow, shivering when Rick’s body lifted off of him. It was cold in the room, a fact that Daryl’s brain registered only now, when his Rick-shaped blanket disappeared. Rick chuckled, and Daryl frowned when a few soft pants washed over his backside. “What are ya…” he started, half-turning to see what Rick was doing, but was interrupted by his own groan when Rick scooted low on the bed. The sheriff brought his palms to Daryl’s ass, nimble fingers spreading his cheeks gently, before Rick’s tongue made an appearance once again.

He licked at Daryl’s opening, lapping up the rest of the strawberry lube and his own come, and Daryl hissed at the sensations. He was quickly becoming oversensitive, and even if his cock gave a valiant twitch of interest, because _fuck_ but that was just _obscene_ , he still turned around, dislodging Rick from his ass. He blinked at him, Rick’s lips shiny and puffy from all the kissing and biting at them he probably did, and Daryl couldn’t help himself. He tugged him up and kissed him long and hard, chasing Rick’s taste, sweet with strawberries.

“Jesus _fuckin’_ Christ” Daryl hissed, when they parted for breath. “You and those fucking _strawberries_ ” he kissed Rick again, now licking all over his lips, making him smile. Daryl turned his head just so and started to lick the sweet, fruity taste from Rick’s beard. “I swear…” lick, lick, “to god…” lick, lick, “yer gonna kill me” lick, “with those fuckin’ strawberries” lick, lick. When he was finished trailing his tongue all over the coarse hair, he pulled away, taking in the truly shit-eating grin that was plastered all over Rick’s face. Daryl squinted at him, and that made Rick giggle uncontrollably, prompting him to hide his face into Daryl’s chest to smother the laughter.

“Yer seriously gonna kill me one day” Daryl rolled his eyes at Rick, still shaking from laughter.   
“Admit it, you liked it” Rick finally looked up at him, eyes bright and face pink. Daryl stomped down the urge to roll his eyes again, because well, Rick had a point.   
“‘s been a long time, huh?” Daryl asked, raising his brow suggestively. Rick just blushed and flopped down on top of him, pressing his face into Daryl’s neck.   
“Haven’t done this since the academy” he mumbled into the skin, kissing it softly. “You liked it?”   
“ _Man…_ ” this time Daryl did roll his eyes. “Couldn’t ya tell?” He huffed out, shifting a bit.

Daryl was way too comfortable to move, and with Rick getting heavier against him, he figured a nap was in order. He looked around, spotting a soft ball of something thrown near the bedside table.   
“That a blanket?” He asked, and Rick lifted his head briefly, just to nod and hide his face in the crook of Daryl’s neck again. The cowboy reached out with one hand, trying not to dislodge Rick from his shoulder, and managed to stretch himself enough to reach it. He brought the blanket up and haphazardly threw it over both of them, closing his eyes and letting the sleep pull him under to the rhythm of Rick’s soft, warm breaths.

 

__________

 

They woke up sometime later when it was already dark outside. Rick stretched lazily from his half-nap just to discover that he was still cuddled up against Daryl, or rather sprawled over him, with Daryl’s arms wrapped around him, keeping him close. He sighed and nuzzled his face into the soft warm skin beneath his cheek, listening to the quiet hum rumbling through Daryl’s chest. When Rick looked up, Daryl’s eyes blinked open slowly, gaze traveling over Rick’s features, soft as the gentlest touch.   
“Hey there” he whispered, leaning up for a kiss, closing his eyes halfway to Daryl’s lips and missing his target. Rick’s lips slid to the corner of Daryl’s mouth, but the cowboy still hummed appreciatively and tightened the hold he had around Rick’s body.

“Want a dinner?” Rick asked once he pulled away, lazy gaze traveling over Daryl’s face and down, to his chest. Rick couldn’t help himself and placed a small kiss there, too, just over a tattoo, delighting in how the warm, soft skin felt under his lips and tongue.   
“Sounds nice… you cooking?” Daryl asked with a raised eyebrow, and Rick huffed out a laugh.   
“God no, I’m too tired for that” Rick slowly got up, trying to will his body into moving. He shivered when Daryl’s eyes raked all over his naked form. “Want a pizza?” Rick asked, because if he didn’t focus on anything else right now, they would never get out of that bed. And he was pretty sure food was important.   
“Sure” Daryl answered, stretching on the bed, smirking when he saw Rick’s hungry gaze glued to his shoulders. He decided to put on a show of stretching his arms as far out as he could and hooking them behind his head.

“Right…” Rick swallowed hard, throat bobbing as he tried not to choke on his own spit. With a shake of his head to clear it, he walked out of the room, looking for his phone. He placed the order, somehow making it without stumbling over his own words, and walked back to the bedroom.

Daryl was sitting on the bed, butt-naked, and running his hand over his backside irritably. Rick looked past him, chuckling when he spotted the wet patch they must have left on the bed that Daryl had slept on. The cowboy looked at him and Rick grinned in response.   
“Ya’ve got a shower?” Daryl’s drawl rumbled through the quiet room and Rick nodded, pointing at the door in the hallway. He watched as Daryl got up, shamelessly raking his eyes up and down his body. Daryl only scoffed at that, coming closer and hooking one hand around Rick’s neck to bring him in for a smoldering kiss. It left Rick dazed and it was Daryl’s turn to smirk, as he padded next to him softly, disappearing in the bathroom.

Rick stood there for a moment, brain frying, until he shook himself out of it. “Yeah, I’ll get you a towel” he mumbled just to realize he was standing alone in the room. Cursing quietly, he started to dig through the chest of drawers, taking out the fluffiest towel he could find and making his way to the bathroom. Daryl had already started the shower and gotten inside by the time Rick had gotten there, and he was greeted with a vision of Daryl’s beautiful body, all slick behind the steamy glass.

He stood there for a moment, just marveling at Daryl’s muscled back, scars barely visible between the steam and the shadows playing along his skin. It took him a while to shake out of this and actually place the towel on the sink, within Daryl’s reach. Just as he was turning around to walk out of the little bathroom, he heard Daryl’s loud snort, followed by a small bark of laughter. He jerked his head back around and found Daryl looking at him through the glass, the pink bottle held high in his muscular hand.   
“Seriously?” Daryl snickered and Rick could feel himself blush, looking down at the towel, tracing the folds with his gaze absentmindedly. “What the fuck is it with the strawberries, anyway?” Daryl asked, amused, and Rick just shrugged.

“I like them” he settled on finally, looking back up at Daryl’s smirking face. There was that small glint of amusement somewhere in his eyes, sparkling between the streams of water, and Rick could feel his own lips stretching in a hesitant smile. “Besides, it’s _you_ who had that one first” he pointed at the bottle, watching as Daryl’s whole frame shook with silent laughter.   
“Man… I got that one from Sophia” Daryl clarified. Rick blinked stupidly for a moment, before it suddenly dawned on him.   
“Carol’s daughter?”   
“Yup. Gave it to me when I helped ‘em in their house one day” Daryl was still smirking, watching Rick with curiosity. “Told me that I needed somethin’ for the shower, and she gave me this lil’ girlish bottle, all pink and ponies and shit, and I jus’ couldn’t say no, ya know?” Daryl went on.

“And here I was thinking you liked strawberries” Rick murmured under his breath, smiling to himself.   
“Nah, that’s yer area… I’d rather eat them.”   
“What, whipped cream and chocolate?” Rick joked aloud, but when Daryl looked at him, his gaze a lot hotter than the water he was standing under, Rick felt his whole face burning. There was something in Daryl’s eyes that told Rick he would like to eat that strawberries. With whipped cream. And chocolate.

Straight from Rick’s skin.

He cleared his throat and, with one last smirk from Daryl, excused himself and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Daryl to finish his shower in peace. The images his mind produced were way too filthy even for Rick, and he started to wonder suddenly what the hell had gotten into him in the past few days. Was it only the fact that Rick had been lonely? Or maybe it was some kind of Daryl-effect that the cowboy provoked in his body? Whatever it was, Rick was slowly beginning to think that his body wouldn’t follow through with whatever his mind wanted him to do. He wasn’t a teenager anymore, and in the past week he had had more sex _and_ sexual thoughts, than he had ever had in such a short period of time. It was starting to look ridiculous. But when Rick’s mind went back to the look Daryl had just given him, he couldn’t help himself but think that even if that man was to be his death, it was all worth it.

He made his way into the living room, flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV, waiting for Daryl to be done with the shower and for the pizza to arrive. He tried not to dwell too much on how his house suddenly didn’t feel so silent and overwhelming. Rick smiled to himself, flipping through the channels and letting his mind wander to the images his imagination was capable of producing now. Daryl with him on the couch. Daryl with him drinking coffee in the morning. The two of them lying out on the grass, drinking beer and watching as the world continued to spin around.

The shrill sound of the doorbell broke Rick’s train of thoughts and he moved to open the door, greeting the delivery guy with a smile.   
“Hey Rick! Big ham with double cheese?” The guy asked and Rick nodded.   
“Yeah. Thanks, Glenn. How are you?” Rick asked, fishing out the money. He’s known Glenn for a while, especially that, since his divorce, he had been eating more pizzas than normal food.   
“I’m fine. You’re the last delivery for today, actually, so I’m great” He grinned at Rick, and Rick frowned, looking the man up and down. Alright, he looked different than usually. Instead of his traditional yellow and red uniform, Glenn was wearing a pair of nicely fitting jeans and a pretty tight t-shirt on. Rick frowned.

“You’ve got a date tonight or something?”  
“Yeah! Maggie finally agreed to go out” Rick smiled at him, knowing just how badly Glenn had fallen for the girl. The man had told him all about her in snippets and pieces delivering pizzas to Rick. Before he could say anything else, however, there was a gruff voice behind him.   
“Watch out, Hershel will probably kill ya if ya try anythin’ with her” Daryl said from the hallway and Glenn peeked his head around Rick to grin at Daryl, too.   
“Daryl! Hi man, haven’t seen you in a while!” Daryl’s usual grunt and nod were the only answer he got, so Glenn looked back at Rick.   
“You’ll be fine” Rick smiled, taking the pizza and showing a few bills in his direction.

“Man” Glenn looked down at his hand, quickly calculating. “I don’t have the change…”  
“Keep it. Buy Maggie something nice” Rick smiled, waving his hand dismissively. Glenn nodded in thanks.   
“Alright, I’ll better get going. See ya!” And then he was gone, leaving Rick and Daryl with the pizza.

They made it to the table and sat down, biting into the pizza and groaning at how good it tasted.   
“I didn’t know you two know each other” Rick started, taking a huge bite and trying not to look ridiculous when the cheese draped all over his chin.   
“I was at the old man’s farm a couple of times. He’s a vet, and a good one. I met the kid there” Daryl responded, before he stuffed his mouth with another piece.   
“So Glenn and Maggie, huh?”   
“Yeah, they’ve been flirtin’ all over the place. Fuckin’ teeth-rottin’ if ya ask me” Daryl licked the sauce off of his fingers and Rick had to stop himself from leaning over and finishing the job for him, when he noticed Daryl missed a few spots.

“Will Hershel be pissed?”   
“Nah, he’s a good guy. But Glenn has to prove he’s worth it” Daryl slurped on his cheese and Rick gulped, staring at him. He was hungry, alright. But now the hunger was slowly drifting lower than his stomach. He decided to finish the rest of his slice and see about quenching it.

As it turned out later, Daryl was hungry in that way, too.


	4. I know the river is dry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for a short chapter. It just happened like that. The next one is going to be muuuuuch longer :)

Rick spent the rest of his week alternating between work and home, not really having enough time to do anything else. There were a few cases that the department was busy with and they ate up all of his free time. It was almost eight in the evening on Friday, when he finally had the time to relax and breathe a little.

Sitting down heavily on the couch, Rick pulled out his phone and read the messages left there during the day. The first one was from Martinez, maybe the last of the cops he could still call his real friends at the station. Martinez wanted to know whether Rick would like to join them at the pub later in the evening. Rick responded with a polite decline, explaining in a few words that he was too tired after the whole week to even move from his couch to the kitchen. A short “Sure thing, see U around” answered him even before he had the occasion to scroll through the rest of the messages.

The next text was from Daryl, and Rick opened it quickly, reading intently as soon as it loaded.

_Could use a couple of cold ones if you want._

Rick smiled as something fluttered in his stomach. He didn’t have enough time this week to even think about Daryl more than a few late night hand jobs before he fell asleep. The smile quickly vanished from his face when he realized that he couldn’t make it. He knew that going to Daryl would end with him probably sleeping there for the whole weekend, and it so happened that this was the weekend he would get Carl. He decided to tell exactly that to Daryl, hoping he would understand and wouldn’t take offense.

_Can’t, sorry. Got my son this weekend._

On a whim, Rick decided to add a sad emoji at the end, wanting to show Daryl without words that he would really like to be there. The reply was almost instant, startling Rick out of his thoughts when the phone beeped and vibrated in his hand.

_Sure? I got strawberries…_

Rick blinked, and blinked again. Was Daryl really thinking the same thing as Rick was right now? He groaned at the mental image of Daryl splayed out and covered in whipped cream and strawberries. No matter how absolutely ridiculous it looked, it was still hot as hell and Rick had to admit he would really like to eat and lick every last bit of them off of Daryl’s body. Another beep, and Rick looked down at his phone once again.

_It’s okay Rick. Spend some time with your boy._

It wasn’t okay, not by far, and while Rick really wanted to spend some time with Carl, he also wanted to be with Daryl. He didn’t hesitate to get that message through, writing quickly back.

_The strawberries got me. I am sorry I can’t do that this weekend. Maybe we could meet up later?_

Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait too long for the answer. His phone beeped once again and he hastily read it.

_It’s fine, don’t worry. Strawberries will hold till Monday. How’s that? ;)_

That little emoji winking at Rick at the end of the text made him release a long breath he wasn’t even aware of holding. Daryl wasn’t mad. He wanted to meet up on Monday. _Hell yes_. Rick typed quickly back, smiling to himself and already starting to plan on what they would do when they got together as he absentmindedly scrolled through other texts. Two ads about fortune tellers and one from Lori... _Wait_. Rick opened it and scanned the letters with his eyes, heartbeat getting faster the more he read. Without thinking much, he hit dial, waiting impatiently until Lori’s hushed voice answered him on the other end of the line.

“Rick?”  
“What do you mean he’s sick?” Rick barked out, not really caring that his words came out harsher than he intended. Lori had just texted him that “Carl can’t come this weekend because he’s sick” and that was something worrying. His son rarely even got cold, not to mention that he could play football all sneezing and coughing if he set his mind to it. Rick didn’t approve, but it always made him feel a bit proud that his kid was so strong-minded.

“Oh Rick, he’s caught a flu somewhere…”  
“What? How is he?” Rick tried to calm his voice. He knew he was being ridiculous but _damn_ , he was a father and he had the right to be concerned. That was one thing Lori couldn’t take away from him.

“He’s mostly okay. Got a bit of a fever and he’s a bit weak still, so I think it’s best that he stays home…” Lori’s voice trailed off, the concerned tone making Rick calm down a bit, knowing his son was cared for, even if he wasn’t with him.   
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Can you get him on the phone?” There was a long pause at the other end and Rick was about to ask again, when Lori’s hushed voice came through.

“He’s already asleep. I think you should call tomorrow, when he’s up.”   
“Will do. Tell him I love him, alright?” He asked, trying to mask his disappointment when he heard Lori.   
“Sure. I’ll tell him” there was a male voice in the background, saying something about _bed_ and an _evening off_ , and Rick could feel his hackles raise as he recognized it immediately. _Shane_. Not wanting to hear anything more, Rick made his goodbyes and hanged up. He tossed the phone to the side and buried his face in his hands. A grumbled out “ _fuck it_ ” escaped his lips, before he decided a long shower was in order.

 

__________

 

Rick had gone to bed around nine on that evening, just tumbling into it as soon as he had gotten out of the shower. It had been almost midnight when he had woken up, though, startled out of his sleep by a nightmare that didn’t want to vanish long after he had opened his eyes.

Breathing erratically, with the memories of his shooting running wild in his head, he sat up on the bed and tried to disentangle himself from the covers. He checked his phone, mostly to distract himself, since there was no option of talking it out with anyone in his empty house. Not that Rick was a very talkative guy… but, sometimes you just wanted to give away the bits and pieces of the whole that hurt you the most, to word-vomit them to anyone who was there and hope that the bad things will somehow disappear once they left you. He couldn’t call Shane, as he would have earlier, that part of his life disappeared along with Lori. He could probably call his sister, but she was living in another state, and an hour of time difference made it quite likely that she was peacefully snoring away in her bed.

Unlocking the phone, Rick scrolled through the messages again, eyes stopping for a moment on those he exchanged with Daryl. He could call him, probably, he knew the cowboy would answer. Just hearing him would probably be enough to center and ground Rick. But he knew that it would be fucking impolite to wake Daryl up if he was already asleep. And besides, Rick had rainchecked their plans for the weekend, so there was a big probability that Daryl had scheduled something else to do with his time, and Rick really didn’t like to be the one undecided guy who ruined other people’s plans. It always made him feel like a burden and that was one of the worst feelings in the world.

Shaking his head, he closed the message app and opened the photo gallery, bringing up Daryl’s picture and smiling at the screen. The way Daryl looked standing next to the torn fence, all masculine with that hint of a smirk just barely curving his lips… It was a very nice picture. And very calming, as Rick realized a few moments later. The longer he looked at it, the more his mind relaxed, and soon, breathing wasn’t so difficult. And the prospect of spending the weekend without either, Carl or Daryl, wasn’t so bad. He knew that he would meet up with Daryl on Monday, and that simple fact shone a small beam of light on his gloomy mood.

Smiling to himself, he closed the app and put the phone away. He wouldn’t fall asleep easily now, even if he managed to calm himself a bit. Groaning at the ache in his shoulders, Rick got out of the bed and padded into his living room. He grabbed his laptop on the way and situated himself on the couch, shivering at the coldness of the night. Somehow, without Daryl inside, the house had gotten gloomy and clinical once again, and Rick started to think on doing something about it. He browsed a few pages with multiple DIY ideas about painting walls and renovating stuff. The more he looked, though, the more the idea of Daryl being the crucial thing that was missing inside his house was surfacing in his brain.

 

__________

 

When he woke up, Rick was immediately aware of two things. He was cold, and his shoulders and neck felt like if they had been stomped over by an elephant. He groaned and tried to straighten up, feeling something slid from his lap and grabbing it at the last minute. His laptop. He looked around, blinking at the lightness of the room. His watch told him it was almost eleven in the morning and his neck told him he had slept the whole night slumped in his fucking coach.

He placed the laptop on the seat next to him and tried to move some of his stiff muscles, the pain making him hiss and almost give up at one point. He soldiered through, finally making it to the standing position, and made his way to the bathroom. After a much needed piss and a quick brush of teeth, he was feeling alive enough to venture into the kitchen and get himself a cup of coffee. It helped to wake him up a bit, and he started planning on what to do with his house. He had checked a few interesting pages last night, coming to a conclusion that he would have to visit the supermarket again and buy some supplies. Painting walls wasn’t a hard thing to do, and he was almost sure it would bring some life into his boring little house.

It took him two hours to get there, stopping at a diner to grab a quick lunch on his way. The place was crazy with all the people running around and shopping, and Rick vaguely wondered why they were so adamant at buying whole carts of food and clothes. Shaking his head at the whole human race, he strolled on to the right alley, scrunching his nose at the meager selection of paint colors. He knew he wanted something warm and light, not too vibrant and jarring. His gaze skimmed over different cans, until a color called “warm sands” caught his attention. It was somehow familiar, looking almost like a very light skin tone, warm and creamy, and Rick started to rack his brain to find just where had he seen it before. Shrugging, he decided to take it, it was nice and it would look good in his living room. Most of the furniture in there was of steely-charcoal color, so this may actually warm the whole space up a bit.

He loaded three cans of it, not really sure how much he would need, but determined not to have to come back here once again. On his way out, Rick made a stop by brushes and got a few of them, too, along with a roll and a spare bucket. He was almost sure there was one somewhere in his garage, but he figured an additional one wouldn’t hurt. Happy with his shopping, he went to the check out.

The cashier was wearing a nude colored t-shirt, and that was precisely when the realization dawned on Rick. The color of the paint, that warm brownish cream that looked so light it could be a skin tone? The last time he had seen it, it was adorning Daryl’s thighs in the form of his leather chaps.

Rick coughed to clear his throat, handing over his card to pay and trying not to blush too hard. _What the fuck was wrong with him?_


	5. I’ve seen enough, I don’t wanna see any more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the ongoing support! I'm so happy that everyone likes this fic so much! 
> 
> This time a much longer chapter with a bit of drama. Enjoy! <3

Rick spent the whole weekend painting his living room walls. It wasn’t a total disaster, and he was pretty proud of the final effect. He was right, too, the color went nicely with his gray furniture and made it all warmer inside. The amount of work he had to put into moving things away from walls kept his mind off of not seeing Carl this weekend, and surprisingly, it eased some of the pain in his shoulders.

Feeling proud of himself and quite relaxed after the weekend, Rick showed up at the station early on the Monday morning. His good mood was destroyed as soon as he walked to his desk, however. There was a whole new report on the mysterious fence cutting involving Carol and Daryl, and he cursed, flipping the file open and reading. Apparently, there had been another incident, the fence had been cut in new places, and some more predators got on their properties. Rick packed his stuff and went out to investigate the issue as quickly as he could.

The ride to Carol’s ranch took him almost half an hour, but the day was actually pleasant, so he didn’t complain. While driving to her house, Rick spotted a few cows in the distance, brown and _lurking_ just as Daryl’s had been. He squinted at them, trying to make out their branding, but they were too far away to tell anything for sure. He had the feeling that their marks were very similar to Daryl’s, though.

He parked his cruiser right in front of Carol’s house and was almost immediately greeted by Carol herself, walking out through the front door and smiling at him.  
“Hello, officer” she greeted warmly and Rick nodded back at her.  
“Good morning, Mrs. Peletier. I heard there was a problem with your fence again” he inquired, walking up to her and stepping on the porch. She nodded, her expression morphing into something darker.  
“Yes, somebody cut through it again.”  
“Anything happened because of that?”  
“Oh no! Daryl repaired it yesterday, some coyotes got inside, but he managed to hunt them down” she said, a hint of a smile appearing on her face again. Rick frowned, looking around.

“So no loss in the herd?”  
“No, thank god. Would be a shame after Daryl gave me his cows…” she looked thoughtful for a moment and Rick could feel the cogs in his brain turning.  
“He did?” So the brown lurking cows were, in fact, Daryl’s. Rick felt stupidly proud of himself for recognizing them. And he felt ridiculously warm thinking about Daryl sharing his herd with Carol… He was about to ask something else, but his thoughts suddenly evaporated when a gruff laughter, accompanied by soft, girlish giggling made him look to the side.

Daryl was there, the chaps and the cowboy hat in place, riding Python, trying to make him stand on his hind legs, barking a laugh every time the horse protested and attempted to shrug him off. It didn’t look like Python really minded it, though, rather like he reminded Daryl what he thought about his behavior. A little girl - Sophia, Rick’s mind whispered to him - was riding a smaller horse next to him, watching Daryl’s acrobatics with amusement, giggling every time Python nickered and stomped the ground.

“I didn’t know Daryl was here” Rick murmured more to himself than to Carol, but she picked up on it anyway.  
“He came in this morning to check if there weren’t anymore coyote trails. He stayed to play with Sophia” she said, voice low and a bit dreamy. Rick felt something uncomfortably squirming in his stomach. “He promised her he would teach her how to jump, but I think they got carried away” Carol continued, smiling at the two riders.

Finally, Daryl must have deemed Python irritated enough, for he ceased his attempts at making him stand and trotted over to Carol and Rick, smirking when he spotted them on the porch. Sophia rode after him, her brown mare looking very unamused by everything she saw. Rick frowned, what the hell was it with him and suddenly reading the expressions on animal faces? He didn’t have time to dwell on it, though, for the next thing he knew, Daryl was getting down from his black steed and helping Sophia, the two of them walking to the porch.

“Hello, sheriff” the cowboy smirked at the carefully blank expression Rick wore as he nodded at him. Rick’s brain was still busy admiring the way Daryl had so carefully lowered the little girl to the ground, making sure she was okay without fussing over it too visibly. It gave Rick a very nice view of his massive arms, thanks to the sleeveless black button-up he was wearing.  
“Hi, I… uh, came to talk about the fence cutter…” Rick mumbled out, Daryl’s suddenly close proximity making him feel a bit too warm and tingly all over. It had been a few days since they had last seen each other, and Rick had really missed him.

Daryl nodded at him, eyes narrowing as he dug through his pockets for a cigarette.  
“That sonofabitch cut through mine, too. I have no idea what the hell is it with him, but I would gladly shoot a round into his ass” Daryl fished out a smoke and lit it, looking at Rick intently.  
“Any loss in your herd?” Rick had a hard time focusing as Daryl took a long drag, cheeks hollowing, as if he wanted to inhale the whole thing at once. It didn’t help that Rick’s mind automatically went to the dangerous territory of Daryl’s lips wrapped around something else entirely while his cheeks hollowed out like that.

“Nah, so far so good. But I’ll have to make a round on the ranch, see if there aren’t any biters there… Ya wanna come?” Daryl asked, and for a moment Rick wasn’t sure if he meant him or Carol. But the intense look never shifted away from Rick’s face and he nodded.  
“Yeah, just… I need to get in touch with the department and see if there isn’t anything else for me for today” Rick cursed himself for not checking it sooner. He should have known that coming here would end up with him riding Daryl.

Fuck, _with_ Daryl. Definitely _with_ Daryl.

_Although…_

Rick shook his head to clear it, the blush already creeping up his face. Daryl didn’t seem to notice, as he finished his cigarette and walked down from the porch to stomp it out on the ground.  
“Alright, get yer toy to my place and I’ll meet ya there” Daryl nodded at him and climbed Python.  
“Sure” Rick swallowed heavily and watched as Daryl waved at Carol and Sophia, before he steered his horse east. Rick frowned, knowing the beaten path that led out of Carol’s ranch was going south from her house.  
“How close are your ranches?” Rick asked absentmindedly, mostly to stop himself from imagining too many things he could do with Daryl on his ranch.  
“We share a fence” Carol smiled at him, watching as Daryl slowly disappeared in the distance.

Rick finally managed to tear his eyes away from the cowboy’s retreating back.  
“I’ll go check in with my department and then I’ll see what’s going on at Daryl’s. You’ll be alright here?” He asked, looking at Carol, who was standing there with a knowing smile on her face. For a brief moment, Rick felt like if he was going to panic, thinking he had been caught. But Carol just smiled more and nodded, calling Sophia to come and help her with dinner.  
“We’ll be fine, thank you” she waved him goodbye when he plopped down in his cruiser, turning it around, mind set on getting to Daryl’s house quickly.

He called the dispatch on his way there, pleasantly surprised when Martinez told him to go on with the investigation. When Rick asked if he was absolutely sure, because it would take the whole of his shift, Martinez only laughed into the phone.  
“Man, this case is so boring the boys here will bring you doughnuts for the next year if you take it on” and Rick chuckled, too. Maybe the case was boring as hell, but he really had some personal interest in investigating it. Before his brain could come up with the long list of things that were unprofessional in Rick’s line of duty, he decided to ask one more thing.  
“Hey, Martinez, you think we could switch some shifts?” Rick waited for the beat of silence with his hopes slowly falling.  
“What do you have in mind?”  
“If you take my shift tomorrow, I can take yours on the weekend” he proposed, already knowing Martinez will accept it. It was his son's birthday on Saturday, and Rick was sure he would be delighted to surprise the little rascal and spend the whole day with him.

“God.. Rick, buddy, you sure?” Martinez asked, the tone of his voice already confirming Rick’s assumptions.  
“Sure” he smiled into the receiver, taking a turn to Daryl’s ranch. The gate was open so he just drove through it, absentmindedly checking the nearby trees for lurking cows.  
“If you take my Saturday, I may be the one to bring you those fucking doughnuts” he laughed and Rick chuckled.  
“No problem man, I need to do something tomorrow so you’re saving my ass” Rick cringed at his lie, but went on. Once he was sure his shift on the next day was taken care of, he said his goodbyes and disconnected. Soon, he was getting out of the cruiser and walking straight to Daryl’s stable, finding the cowboy already there, saddling Hornet.

“So, can ya stay?” Daryl asked, arms bulging as he worked on the horse.  
“Yeah. We don’t have to hurry, too. I am free tomorrow” Rick tried not to drool over Daryl’s shoulders and hands, muscles shifting when he checked the straps.  
“‘s good. We can make a larger circle then” he patted Hornet’s neck when he was done, the horse nickering happily and stretching her head out to sniff at Rick. He tentatively raised his hand and smoothed it down her mane, stealing glances and glimpses of Daryl when he walked further into the stable. There was some shuffling and some cursing when something toppled over in the corner, but soon, Daryl was walking back to Rick, a piece of folded up leather gathered in his arms. Rick frowned when Daryl passed it to him.

“So you don’t get yer scout’s uniform all dirty” Daryl explained and smirked when Rick unfolded the bundle. As it turned out, the piece of leather was actually a beautiful pair of black chaps. Rick gaped at them, gaze flickering from Daryl’s face to the item in his hands, before Daryl’s barked out laugh brought him back.  
“Come on, sheriff, it’s not rocket science” he smirked and took them from Rick’s hands, flipping them around and finding a zipper. Rick watched, quite mesmerized, as Daryl opened up first one leg, then the other. He helped Rick to get them on, zipping him up gently, tucking Rick’s uniform pants in a few times when it got in the way. Once Rick was all zipped up and buckled, Daryl took a step back to admire his handiwork.

The [chaps](http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/8/0/6/8/9/6/webimg/685064950_tp.jpg) were almost too tight on Rick’s thighs and a bit too wide on his calves, but the length was just right, so it was okay. The fringe on the sides of his legs went all the way to the bottom, like on [Daryl’s](http://www.cowboyway.com/images/ShowChaps01.jpg), but while the cowboy’s skin-colored ones had the fringe cut off just before the waistline, Rick’s wrapped to the back and went over his ass. He shifted nervously as he stood there, waiting for Daryl to finally tear his eyes away. After what felt like a small eternity, Daryl turned to grab his hat from the stool he left it on, muttering a quiet “damn” under his nose and licking his lips.  
“I’ll make a cowboy out of ya yet, Rick” Daryl gruffed out, taking a hold of Hornet’s reins and walking out of the stable, Rick following him quickly.

 

__________

 

“Carol is nice” Rick started, not really knowing where he was going with that sentence. They rode for half an hour now and the silence between them was pleasant. Why the fuck did he want to break it and _like that?_ Daryl didn’t seem to mind, though, grunting something under his nose and nodding.  
“Yeah. Was thinkin’ ‘bout merging our ranches together” Daryl told him absentmindedly, and Rick prayed he couldn’t see the change in his expression. Rick knew his poker face left much to be desired, just as well as he knew that his face was a picture of jealousy and irrational despair right there and then. He cleared his throat and moved on, observing the ground just like Daryl did, trying to shut his brain up. It worked for the most part, between the heat of the sun beating down on them, and the horses’ playful nickering, he managed to push it to the back of his mind and forget about it for a moment. He would get back to it when they weren’t trying to investigate what was happening on Daryl’s ranch.

 

__________

 

The ride was mostly pleasant, and they stopped a few times when Daryl spotted new trails on the ground. Getting down to investigate it, Rick asked a few questions, and Daryl seemed more than happy to explain, especially that he had the chance to point out a few things that Rick had no idea about. Like rabbit trails. Or coyotes. Or human footprints.

On one of the stops, Rick walked close to the place Daryl was staring at, the ground dry and dusty. Rick wondered how Daryl could even see anything in there, when the cowboy turned to him and told him to see for himself. And so Rick did, staring intently on the ground until something that looked like a paw print registered in his brain. It was barely there, but he could see it in the minimal rise of the sand around its edges. He turned to Daryl, feeling proud of himself and announced that it was a rabbit.

The cowboy nodded and congratulated him on a good job at uncovering a _coyote’s_ trail, smirking at Rick’s resigned groan.  
“Don’t worry, ya’ll get there” Daryl told him, before he stepped close and leaned in for a kiss. Rick felt the chaste press of his lips, feather-light and gentle, and he groaned quietly. Then, Rick’s brain kicked in and he pulled away, looking at Daryl with a frown. There was something at the back of Rick’s mind, something he was meaning to ask, but it flew away quickly when Daryl leaned in again. The next press of his lips was more insistent, and Rick’s brain finally remembered what he should be asking.

“Wait…” Rick broke away, licking his lips. “What about Carol?” He asked. That thought had been nagging at his brain for a longer while now, getting stronger when he had seen just how close Daryl was with her and her girl. The logical part of his brain knew that Daryl was into men, but Rick wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to get together with Carol. Even if only for looks. The south wasn’t a friendly place for two buddies shagging like rabbits, and Rick understood as much. Besides, knowing what he knew about Carol and Daryl’s backgrounds, he supposed they could get each other well.

Daryl’s eyes narrowed and he fixed Rick with that “what the hell” look.  
“What about her?”  
“Aren’t you two… like…” Rick trailed off, not really knowing how to finish that sentence. Daryl squinted harder, before something clicked.  
“We ain’t like that” he shook his head and Rick could tell that there was something Daryl didn’t want to say out loud. It was in the way he looked to the side for a second, it was in the way he looked suddenly nervous.  
“But… I thought… with you wanting to merge your ranches and all…” Rick stuttered out, feeling out of his depth. Daryl, bless him, just barked out a laugh at this.

“Man… It ain’t like this. Her house is ruined inside. The roof is leakin’ something awful, and she doesn’t have the money to repair it. I was thinkin’ they could move in, merge the pastures and the herds. One big herd and one big pasture is better than two small ones” Daryl explained, probably the most he said at once since Rick had met him.  
“So you’re not interested in Carol…” Rick blinked at Daryl, biting his lip and waiting for the answer, even though he practically knew it already.  
“Nope” Daryl smirked at him, looking down at Rick’s lips and licking his own. “’m as gay as a picnic basket” he added, eyes flickering to Rick’s for the briefest of moments, before he dove in and claimed Rick’s mouth. Rick let him lick every corner of his mouth, urging him on with little enthusiastic groans, until they had to break apart to gulp in some of the much needed air. The ride after that had been considerably better, Rick thought. He felt relieved that Daryl wasn’t interested in Carol in _this_ way, it gave him a green light to think about Daryl however much he wanted, without feeling guilty or jealous.

 

__________

 

It happened in a blink of an eye. One moment Rick was getting off of Hornet’s back to investigate a trail of footprints disappearing in the bushes, the next, he was clutching at his hand, staring down at the blood in horror. He might have screamed, he might have cursed… he wasn’t sure. One thing he was sure of was that Daryl appeared next to him in an instant, looking down at his hand, cursing a blue streak in a quiet murmur.

The blood was smudged all over Rick’s wrist from his own own fingers passing through it, and it was hard to even see the bite marks, not to mention to identify them. Daryl swore some more, before he finally looked up at Rick.  
“What bit ya?”  
“It was a snake…” Rick trailed off, noticing just how blank Daryl’s face turned in a heartbeat.  
“What kind? A rattlesnake?”  
“No… I don’t know…” Rick tried to remember. It wasn’t a rattlesnake, unless they wore makeup. The bite was as fast as a lightning, but Rick managed to see a blur of colors when it happened.

“It was colorful…” Rick went on, hoping that maybe that would tell Daryl something.  
“ _Colorful?_ ” Now Daryl’s usually narrowed eyes went wide. He double checked Rick’s bleeding wrist and cursed some more. “What colors?”  
“Red, black… I think there was some yellow, too” Rick watched as Daryl looked around them, then at the bushes a few feet away from them, then at Rick again. His gaze had something panicked to it, something that made Rick swallow hard.  
“Fuck. _Fuck…_ What combination?” Daryl stepped up close into Rick’s space, eyeing him intently, and for a moment Rick felt blind panic clutch at his stomach.  
“I don’t _know…_ What the fuck does it matter anyway?” He almost squeaked when Daryl jumped away from him just as quickly, walking up to the bushes. He grabbed a stick on his way and started to tread carefully through them.

Daryl was slowly starting to panic. If the snake was poisonous, there was no way they would manage to get Rick to the hospital in time. Even going as fast as the horses could, they still had at least an hour ride to get to the _house_ , not to mention getting Rick to a doctor. It would be too late for that… Daryl knew immediately that he had to find the snake and make sure it was the poisonous one before he took any action. He still calculated their options, though.

If the snake was poisonous, there was no way of getting the venom out of Rick’s wrist. A tourniquet wouldn’t probably do him any good in terms of saving his hand, but it could at least save his life… Maybe then they would get some damn time. Fuck. _Fuck!_ Why the fuck had Rick put his hand into those bushes like a dumbass? He shouldn’t have done this. Fuck, Daryl should have warned him… And now? Now there was a snake that had bitten him and nobody could tell if Rick would live…

It was the first time in _years_ that Daryl felt like crying. He had started something with Rick, he had started something with that idiotic sheriff who was kind and good, and who, for some unfathomable reason, had decided to hang around Daryl. Who treated him like any other human. Who wanted to be with him… And now all that was lost because of that _stupid snake_.

Daryl growled angrily and dug into the bushed with the stick, barely holding back his frustration. He swiped left and right, pushed some branches away… _There!_ A small portion of the tail, sticking out from between the roots. Daryl blinked down at it, took in the colors, exhaled, blinked again. And then he turned around, throwing the stick almost angrily on the ground, walking up to Rick in quick steps.

Rick didn’t even know what hit him at first. One second Daryl was hunched over between the leaves and twigs, the next, he was pressing into him and kissing him wildly. Rick groaned with surprise, lips parting to let Daryl’s tongue inside. The cowboy just kept kissing him, both of his strong arms wrapped around Rick, keeping him securely in place until he was done. The kiss left Rick dazed and shivering, the uncertainty mixing with the familiar sensations of Daryl plastered to him, and he opened his eyes in question. Daryl just stood there, breathing heavily, eyes narrowed and almost angry when they locked on Rick’s.  
“Wha…”  
“Ya _can’t_ fuckin’ do that!” Daryl growled at him, diving in for another kiss. There was so much desperation in it that Rick’s mind blanked out for a longer moment.  
“What?” He asked again when they parted for breath. But Daryl just shook his head and squeezed his arms tighter, locking Rick in place as he pressed his face into Rick’s neck.

Rick frowned, actually scared now, the way Daryl’s chest rose and fell against him, the way he took in shuddering breaths, it all had some kind of finality in it. And then Daryl mumbled something into the skin on his neck and Rick had to strain his ears to actually make it out.  
“Red on black won’t kill Jack” Daryl gruffed again, his warm breath puffing over Rick’s neck and making him shiver. And then Daryl drew away, his laser-sharp gaze focused on Rick. “You’re a fucking idiot, Rick Grimes” his voice was so deep it came out as a rumble, and Rick had to clear his throat to even say anything.  
“What do you mean?”

That innocent question, asked in that innocent, clueless tone, when everything around them might have collapsed just a minute before… It made Daryl’s blood boil. He snarled at Rick, actually irritated with himself, but Rick was his only outlet right now, so he went for it. He fell for that man, he understood it now. He fell for Rick and he fell _hard_. And just when he thought he had finally found someone of his own…   
“Don’t ya fuckin’ know nothin’?” He growled at Rick, stepping back and walking angrily towards Python, getting on his back quickly. “[Red on yellow kill a fellow, red on black won’t kill Jack](https://assets.ello.co/uploads/asset/attachment/3814913/ello-xhdpi-8b16b84f.jpg)” he recited, adjusting his hat and looking down at a dumbfounded Rick. “Ya’ll be fuckin’ fine” he exclaimed, waving his hand at the bushes. “That was a King Snake, it ain’t poisonous” he grumbled and turned the horse around.

Rick blinked at him for a moment, the relief washing over him with a speed that made him dizzy for a few seconds. He didn’t really understand why Daryl had reacted like that… It was good news, after all, right? Sighing, he walked to Hornet, climbing her and following after Daryl, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. He glanced at his wrist a few times, noting absentmindedly that the bleeding had stopped. He sighed again, trotting after Daryl and steeling himself for a hard evening.


	6. I’ll love you with all the madness in my soul

By the time they got back, the sun had already set and the evening had started for good. The whole ride back was filled with silence that stretched uncomfortably to the house, when they finally entered it. Daryl made straight for the kitchen and Rick followed, standing there helplessly as Daryl fussed over something in the cupboard above the sink. Rick’s mind was numb, his brain had run out of logical possibilities for Daryl’s behavior somewhere after the first three miles of their ride. Having nothing better to do, not really keen on bringing Daryl’s anger forth again, he just stood there, gaze shifting between his own bloodied wrist and Daryl’s figure. The cowboy rooted around in a beaten-up shoe box, fishing out a few white packets, a small bottle and something that looked like black electrical tape. He turned to Rick, eyes narrowed, and pointed to a chair.

Rick understood the request, the _order_ , as easily as if it had been spoken aloud, and moved to sit down. Daryl settled next to him, putting the items on the table, grabbing Rick’s injured hand and placing it on it, too. He took the bottle and poured the liquid all over Rick’s wrist and hand, the sharp smell of alcohol hitting Rick before he even felt any sting of it. He hissed quietly, hand jerking away on instinct, but Daryl held it down, opening one of the packets and taking out a piece of gauze. He swiped it over the blood, trying to clean Rick’s skin, ignoring every hiss that escaped him. When the blood came off finally, Rick could see the little puncture marks on his flesh. Two rows of little wounds, not really something he would be concerned over, if not for what they implied could have happened.

Rick watched, transfixed, as Daryl took in the damage, taking another piece of gauze and wetting it with alcohol, before he rubbed it over the damaged area. Rick bit his lips not to say anything. With the way Daryl was trying to clean the wounds, Rick felt like if he was fussed over exceedingly. It was just a small bite, nothing serious, _nothing life-threatening_. Daryl had said so himself. _Ya’ll be fucking fine_. He hadn’t said if Rick would be fine _after_ he finished dressing the wound, too. With the way Daryl was buzzing next to him, that silent yet angry energy pouring out of him in Rick’s direction, Rick thought he wouldn’t be fine. Something had shifted between them over those bushes, _over that snake_ , and Rick wasn’t sure if he wanted to pick it apart and examine it.

For a moment he almost wished that the bite had been poisonous. The way Daryl looked at him in that moment, the fire in his eyes, it gave Rick hope that they could make it together. Make it to the house, make it to the hospital, _make it in their lives_. Now though, with Daryl all closed off, mechanically cleaning his hand, Rick wanted that fire to come back, even for the price of his own health.

He shook his head to clear it. What the hell was he thinking anyway?   
“I’m sorry” Rick whispered, feeling like he should apologize. He didn’t know for what, for sticking his hand into the bushes like a dumbass? Or maybe for thinking that he would let the venom eat him alive if that meant Daryl would _look at him_ like he used to?   
“Don’t” Daryl growled out, just as quietly. He took a fresh piece of gauze from another packet, this one wider than the previous, and pressed it gently to the wounds, covering Rick’s wrist completely. He tore off two long pieces of electrical tape and secured the dressing in place.

“I ran out of the real stuff” Daryl gruffed out, shrugging, taking the supplies and walking to the cupboard to return them to their place. Rick watched him go, feeling as if his whole life was walking away from him. It hit Rick in that moment, and it hit him hard. He was head over heels for Daryl, and watching him put any physical distance between them hurt something fierce. Rick couldn’t really let him go like that, all cold and closed off, _unaffected,_ when Rick was almost sure he was anything but. The wild, panicked gaze Daryl had sent him over those bushes had told him enough. So Rick stood up and faced Daryl, trying hard not to wince when all he got in return was Daryl’s back turned to him.

“What did I do?” Rick asked, genuinely clueless. Daryl was silent for a moment, and just when Rick wanted to open his mouth again, the cowboy suddenly turned to him. In three quick steps, Daryl appeared in Rick’s personal space, not stopping his walk and forcing Rick to take a few steps back, until he felt the wall behind him. Daryl pressed Rick into it, his strong hands fisting in Rick’s uniform shirt, as Daryl fumed in front of him.   
“Doncha dare to pull off shit like that again” Daryl seethed, eyes narrowed and so blue Rick could swear he was looking straight into the ocean itself. He tried to say something, but Daryl didn’t let him, tugging him away from the wall by his shirt and shoving him back against it, Rick’s head hitting it with a hollow thud.

“I’m sorry” Rick whispered closing his eyes. He felt Daryl’s fists loosen up a little, just before Daryl sagged against him, face buried in Rick’s neck, his whole body pressing into Rick’s.   
“I can’t lose ya like this, ya idiot” Daryl whispered against his skin, voice quiet like if he had been making a deadly confession. Rick’s eyes snapped open, the realization dawning on him. Daryl wasn’t angry, not really. He was _scared_. Rick brought both of his arms around Daryl’s chest, wrapping him up in a tight embrace, trying not to shake apart himself under the onslaught of his own emotions. He glanced at the white dressing on his wrist, the stark contrast between the gauze and the duct tape feeling somehow jarring in the fluorescent light in Daryl’s kitchen.

They stood like that for a longer moment, until Daryl started to mouth softly at Rick’s neck, dragging his lips over his pulsepoint and making Rick shiver. He dragged his teeth over the sensitive skin, soothing the harsh feeling with his tongue, and Rick had a hard time keeping the noises inside. Now that he knew that Daryl wasn’t actually angry with him, the idea of the two of them being safe and sound in Daryl’s cozy house, it let Rick focus on other things. Like Daryl rubbing against him, hips pressing into Rick’s almost hesitantly.   
“Daryl…” Rick sighed, one hand traveling from Daryl’s back down to cup his ass and bring him closer. The decided encouragement earned Rick a bite just over the collar of his shirt and a low groan reverberating all through his own chest.

He gingerly pushed Daryl back, keeping his hands on him in case the cowboy misread his intentions, and turned them around, switching their positions. With Daryl sandwiched between his chest and the wall, Rick leaned in for a long kiss, starting out slow and tender, morphing into something hungry and wild. He broke away when his body reminded him that breathing was, in fact, important, and caught Daryl’s gaze, feeling as if he had caught fire along with it. Daryl’s eyes were almost black, smoldering Rick as Daryl watched his every move intently. Rick vowed to himself to be the cause for that particular expression for the rest of his life. And he could do that, too, now that the cards were out on the table.

Rick let his hands travel over Daryl’s front, feeling out the contours of his chest, the muscles shifting just under Daryl’s shirt, drinking him in. Rick skimmed his hands down, diving in for a quick kiss, before his palms traveled even lower, over Daryl’s stomach, to land on his groin. The hardness Rick found there made him groan appreciatively, as he rubbed Daryl’s cock through the material of his jeans. They were still wearing their chaps, and the task of undoing the zipper on Daryl’s trousers proved to be a bit more complicated than usually, but Rick managed. When he wrapped his hand around the hard length, a quiet “fuck” and a shuddering breath falling from Daryl’s lips informed him just how well received the action was.

Rick stroked him gently, not enough to produce any real friction, just to tease him a bit. Daryl arched up into the touch, hands traveling to Rick’s shoulders, fingers grabbing at his uniform shirt. Rick licked his lips, feeling the wetness seeping from Daryl’s cock, adding to the slow glide of Rick’s fist. He looked down between them, Daryl’s shaft steel-hard and rosy-red, twitching in time with small shockwaves coursing through his body. He hissed when Rick rubbed the pad of his thumb over the tiny slit at the tip, a bit of precome wetting it instantly, and Rick brought his thumb to his mouth, curious of the taste.   
“God…” Daryl’s voice was husky, eyes half-closed as he watched Rick lick his taste from his thumb. That gave Rick some ideas, and he decided that he wanted, _needed_ , to test them out right this second. Smiling softly at Daryl, Rick slowly sank to his knees, enjoying the heated gaze directed at him. One hand still fisted around Daryl’s length, he let the other run up and down Daryl’s thigh, the suede of his chaps soft under Rick’s fingertips.

And then he leaned forward, giving Daryl a curious little lick, just a flick of his tongue over the head. The moan that escaped Daryl was like nothing Rick had ever heard, and he wanted more of it. He licked again, slower and longer this time, starting at the base and going all the way up Daryl’s cock, flicking the tip of his tongue just under the head. Rick was aware that it was his own sweet spot, and for the briefest of moments he wondered what reaction would it bring out of Daryl. He didn’t have to wonder for long, though, for as soon as he touched the place, Daryl’s head fell back against the wall and his hips bucked up.

“ _Rick…_ ” Daryl was slowly losing his mind. He went from _angry_ to _aroused_ in a very short span, and now Rick was there, kneeling before him, looking almost _obscene_ licking at Daryl’s cock. He still had his police uniform on, the tanned color of it contrasting nicely with the black chaps he was wearing, and _fuck_ , but Daryl wanted to fucking _devour_ him. When Rick got down, Daryl was sure he was going to come right there and then, the picture of Rick on his knees, the mighty sheriff licking at Daryl’s length with little kitten licks, before he ran his tongue all over the underside, was enough to drive Daryl mad. But then Rick’s tongue paused just under the head of his cock, wriggling there and wrangling a desperate little moan out of Daryl.

“Fuck!” Daryl could only watch as Rick closed his eyes and moved a bit, the hand he had wrapped around Daryl’s length angling it a bit lower, and the next thing Daryl knew, Rick was slipping his mouth over him, lips trying to cover his teeth as he worked about half of Daryl’s length inside. There was a small pause, as if Rick was trying to decide what to do next, but Daryl didn’t mind at all. If Rick had just gone and started sucking him right away, he would be off like a firework. But Rick started out gentle, light pressure and a wriggling tongue, before he slowly moved his head. He bobbed it a few times awkwardly, until he managed to settle an even rhythm, trying hard not to let his teeth graze the sensitive flesh. Daryl could feel them occasionally, just lightly scraping him, but it only added fuel to the fire. He couldn’t stop himself from moaning at every harder suck, hips bucking involuntarily, prompting Rick to put his free arm across Daryl’s stomach, keeping him in place.

“Fuckin’ _Christ_ , Rick…” Daryl’s back arched off of the wall, hips straining against Rick’s hold, and that was the precise moment Rick cautiously took him an inch deeper. Daryl watched, mesmerized, as his length disappeared between those puffy lips, red from friction and shiny with saliva. The sight of Rick like that was the hottest picture he had ever seen, truth be told, and he knew he would jerk off to it for the rest of his life.

Rick moved his head even closer to Daryl’s pelvis, swallowing another inch and gagging himself in the process. He drew back immediately, pulling off and coughing reflexively, and the logical and caring part of Daryl’s brain felt bad for him for a moment. The other part was still busy trying not to come when Daryl felt Rick’s throat contracting around the head of his cock. Rick looked up at him, his blue eyes almost completely dark, and smiled a little.   
“Sorry, out of practice” he murmured, voice raspy, before he took Daryl in his mouth again, sliding almost three fourths of his length in smoothly. Daryl choked on his own spit.

“ _Jesus…_ Ya wanna kill me? _Fuck_ ” he groaned out, and Rick hummed around him, the rumble making Daryl shiver as the pleasure traveled through him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, savoring the feeling, and when he opened them again, Rick was watching him. The dark blue of his eyes gazing innocently at Daryl as he sucked his cock… it was almost too much. Daryl’s hands shot to Rick’s hair, fingers threading through the curls and fisting there, trying to tug him away, because Daryl was sure he wasn’t going to last much longer. But Rick only hummed again, both of his hands settling on Daryl’s thighs, as he closed his eyes.

He was giving Daryl permission. Rick was giving him _permission_ to do whatever the fuck he wanted. The sole idea of fucking Rick’s beautiful mouth, of _soiling_ it like that, made Daryl’s blood boil. He thrust his hips experimentally, gauging Rick’s reaction, before he established an easy rhythm, going just deep enough not to trigger Rick’s gag reflex. Rick hummed at that again and wriggled his tongue on the underside of Daryl’s shaft and just like that Daryl was _done_. With a hard suck, he tumbled over the edge, muscles twitching as he emptied inside Rick’s hot mouth. He might have babbled Rick’s name, or maybe whimpered it, Daryl wasn’t sure. One thing he was sure of was that Rick kept sucking him through his orgasm, milking every last drop he had to give.

When Rick finally pulled off, Daryl was hunched over him, the death-like grip he had on Rick’s curls the only thing anchoring him. Rick licked his lips, blinking up at him, before he leaned forward, nuzzling his face into Daryl’s hips, his stubbled cheek dragging across the suede with a soft rustle. It took Daryl a longer moment to catch his breath back, finally releasing Rick’s hair when he did, feeling his legs shake when he tried to move. He slowly slid to the ground, legs falling on either side of Rick, who was still kneeling on the floor.

“Come ‘ere” Daryl rasped, tugging Rick forward by his shirt. Rick shuffled closer on his knees, opening his trousers as he went, fumbling a bit because the fastening of the chaps got in the way. When he was close enough, he kissed Daryl, long and hard, hungry like a man starving, and Daryl reciprocated every little stroke of his tongue and every slide of his puffy lips. When they broke for air, Rick turned his head to the side, pressing his forehead into Daryl’s shoulder, as little whimpers escaped him. Daryl looked down, his spent cock twitching valiantly when he spotted Rick’s fingers wrapped around his own length, moving so fast it was practically a blur of motion. Daryl ducked down, lips finding Rick’s ear and mouthing over it gently, before he let his teeth join in the play, nibbling on the shell. Rick tensed, a choked off moan escaping him like if he couldn’t help it, and on the next small bite and lick, he was coming all over the both of them, mouth falling open, whimpering Daryl’s name like there was no tomorrow. Daryl wrapped his arms around him, feeling the aftershocks quaking through Rick, shaking his whole body. The hand kept rubbing until it was too much, and Rick slumped against him, face still pressed into Daryl’s shoulder.

Daryl didn’t know how long they sat there, trying to calm down, before his ass started to protest the hard floor underneath. He groaned, gently pushing Rick away, half-suspecting the man had fallen asleep like that. But Rick was awake, even if his eyes were heavy, so Daryl stood up and pulled him along, hissing when his muscles protested every little move. Keeping the comfortable silence between them, they managed to stumble into Daryl’s bedroom, falling on the bed as soon as they wrestled their clothes off. Rick was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, Daryl following him only a few moments later, using the time to spoon up behind his sheriff and wrap his arms tightly around his waist.

 

__________

 

Rick woke up late the next morning. Groaning softly and rubbing his eyes, trying to chase away the sleep, he turned around, looking for Daryl. He frowned when he spotted him, sitting on the bed and looking intently at his phone, holding it in front of his face in a manner that hid half of his gorgeous features. Rick waited for Daryl to notice that he was awake, but the cowboy remained in his spot, still focused on his phone… and that was exactly when something in Rick’s mind clicked.

“Are you taking photos of me?” He asked, voice gravelly and scratchy from sleep. The smirk that lit up the half of Daryl’s face that was visible from behind the phone was enough of an answer for Rick. He groaned and flopped back down on the bed, hiding his face in the pillows. “It’s not fair” he mumbled into it, gazing up at Daryl from the corner of his eyes, head still smashed against the soft linen.   
“Ya have mine, I need to have yers” Daryl replied smugly, taking another picture when he changed the angle a bit.   
“But you’re not supposed to take pictures of people who are unaware of it” Rick leaned up, looking at Daryl with one of his eyebrows raised challengingly.   
“‘s not like ya warned me, either” Daryl smirked even more, but put he lowered the phone, tapping the screen a few times, before showing it to Rick.

It was a photo of his face, alright. But in the soft light, filtered through by the curtains, all relaxed with sleep, he looked almost artistic. Rick might not know a lot about art, but this photo was actually nice. Nicer than anything he ever took of himself. Daryl’s smirk grew into a grin when he spotted just how impressed Rick was.   
“Ya know what? Scoot over” he commanded, and Rick obeyed just in time to get out of the way when Daryl launched himself at the bed, landing so close they would have collided if Rick hadn’t shifted. Daryl’s arm wrapped around Rick’s shoulders and he was tugged to sprawl over Daryl’s chest. Rick’s brain tried to catch up valiantly, but it only got on with the program when Daryl finally switched to the selfie camera and started to take an insane amount of pictures.

 _If you can’t fight them, join them_ , Rick thought as he started to make the most ridiculous expressions he could think of. After about fifteen stupid photos, something changed. Daryl’s arm gripped him tighter, squeezing a bit, as the cowboy leaned closer to press a kiss to Rick’s temple. Rick reciprocated by kissing his naked chest. One kiss led to another, and soon, the phone was placed on the bedside table, and Rick and Daryl made up for the lack of a proper ‘good morning’ earlier.

 

__________

 

The rest of Rick’s week was quiet and mostly uneventful. By the end of it, Rick was more bored than tired, and so, he decided to call Daryl on the Friday evening, not expecting anything special. The second Daryl picked up, however, Rick knew that it was good he was calling the cowboy from his home. He might have had a bit of a problem if he were at a pub right in that moment, with Daryl’s voice as raspy as it sounded in his ear.   
“Yeah?” Daryl gruffed out into the receiver, and Rick’s eyes immediately went to the clock hanging on the wall. It was just barely past ten in the evening, and Rick mentally slapped himself - Daryl must have been sleeping already, probably tired after a hard day out on his ranch.

“Sorry to wake you” Rick said softly, biting his lip anxiously. He couldn’t deny that just hearing Daryl was enough to set him into a good mood for a relaxed weekend.   
“Ain’t sleepin’” Daryl gruffed out again, and that two small words sent Rick’s brain into a loop of _why did Daryl sound like that?_ Rick shook his head.   
“I was wondering if you’re doing anything tomorrow?” He asked instead, listening intently for the reply. It was a long time coming, the silence at the other end broken by a few soft breaths and a long sigh. Rick’s eyes widened as his brain finally made a connection. “Uh… Daryl?”

“Y-yeah?” Came Daryl’s stuttered out voice, and Rick had to swallow the sudden dryness of his throat away.   
“Are you…?” He couldn’t even finish the question. He hadn’t been with Daryl since that day when the snake had bitten him, and just the simple image of Daryl jerking off was too hot for his brain to process. He could feel arousal swishing through him, making him too hard too fast.   
“ _Fuck…_ Rick” Daryl groaned out, and Rick couldn’t help himself. His whole body perked up, one hand sneaking to the front of his trousers, fumbling with the fastenings, as he gripped the phone with the other one. He took his cock out, licking his palm before he wrapped it around the shaft, stroking slowly and listening to Daryl’s soft pants.

“How… how are you...?” Rick tried to form sentences but his brain was frying and fast. He choked down on a moan himself when he heard a faint rustling sound followed by a ragged groan.   
“My bed…” Daryl almost whispered, breathing heavy and noticeable in the receiver. Rick swallowed hard, his hand picking up the pace slightly. “‘m lyin’ down… with a pillow...”   
“With a… _god, Daryl_ ” Rick’s mind had already conjured the image even before the words left him. Daryl on his bed, _humping the pillow_ and talking to him, that raspy drawl laced with quiet moans and groans that sounded just as feverish as Rick felt.

“What are you thinking about?” Rick asked, licking his lips in anticipation.   
“You… _Rick, Jesus…_ m’ thinkin’ about ya…” he trailed off.   
“Yeah? Want me there, Daryl?” Rick closed his eyes, feeling his cheeks get hot. He had never had phone sex in his life, but it didn’t matter. This was Daryl, and Rick could let the filter between his brain and mouth disappear. “You wanna fuck me, Daryl?” The whine he received in reply was enough to make Rick’s blood boil. He started to move his hand faster, timing the strokes with Daryl’s panting breaths, the small helpless sounds that poured straight into his ear making him leak like a broken faucet.

“Keep talkin’” Daryl asked over the line, and Rick couldn’t do anything else but obey him, even if he didn’t really know what he was doing.   
“I want you… _fuck_ , Daryl, _I want you so much_ … I think I can still feel you” and it was true, when Rick closed his eyes he could easily go back to every moment when he felt Daryl inside him. Fingers, tongue, _cock…_ it didn’t really matter, each thought was as good as the next one. Rick’s cock jerked in his grasp, the pressure building inside of him was becoming too much. He moaned loudly, imagining Daryl pounding into him, wild and untamed, driving Rick out of his mind with pleasure.

Rick’s moan must have done something to Daryl, too. There was a sharp gasp at the other end of the line and a series of small groans. Rick knew the groans very well, his imagination helpfully supplying him with the image of Daryl coming undone, rutting against his pillow as he closed his eyes and threw his head back. It was enough to push Rick over the edge, too, a small twist at the head of his dick and he was flying off the cliff, the sensations wringing a strangled whine from his own lips.

They lay like this, spent and satisfied, breaths heaving out of them, loud over the phone.   
“Can’t believe we just did that” Daryl mumbled, voice half muffled by something, probably by another pillow. Rick couldn’t help but laugh at that, endorphins still making him pleasantly high.   
“It was good” he managed between bouts of uncontrollable giggles that stopped only after he heard Daryl’s small chuckle joining him. He was suddenly aware of just how much he missed Daryl. “Hey, you know… I was actually calling to ask if you’re free tomorrow” Rick bit his lip, nibbling at it nervously.

“Yeah… wanna come?” Daryl’s voice was starting to get slurred and Rick smiled fondly hearing that. His cowboy was definitely tired.   
“Sure, when?”   
“Man… _anytime_ , I ain’t going nowhere” Daryl sighed in mock exasperation, and Rick could easily imagine the eyeroll that followed this statement.   
“Alright… see you tomorrow?”   
“Yeah… Rick?” Daryl asked, and there was something raw in his voice that screamed at Rick to shut up and pay attention. But Daryl only sighed again. “Never mind. Goodnight” he gruffed out instead.   
“Night” Rick answered, before hanging up, mind busy trying to figure out what Daryl had really wanted to say.

It probably had something to do with that snake.

 

__________

 

When Rick got to Daryl’s ranch on the next day, he spotted Daryl immediately. He was sitting on the ground outside of his house, next to the beaten path leading to it, holding a calf in his hands. Rick parked his car right outside the building and stepped out, eyes focused on Daryl as he walked up to him.

The cowboy was sitting with his legs crossed, the animal seated on his lap, as Daryl rooted in his backpack thrown next to him on the ground, looking for something. The animal perked up when Rick approached them, but a few pats from Daryl and a soothing murmur settled it down quickly. Rick was truly mesmerized when he stood there and watched, something warm growing inside of his chest as he noticed just how careful Daryl was with the calf. Daryl grinned up at him, nodding slightly in greeting, before he continued to dig inside his backpack.

After a moment he took out a clean looking gauze and poured something over it, bringing it to the calf’s leg and swiping it over the fur gently. Only when Rick focused on the area did he notice that the leg seemed to be injured, coagulated blood sticking to the fur. Daryl cleaned the wound gently and quickly, wrapping it up in bandage, all the while muttering soothing nonsense to the scared animal. Once he was done, he just put it on the ground and stood, wincing when his bones cracked a bit. The calf just stood there for a moment, curiously looking at him, before it took a tentative step forward and sniffed at Daryl’s leg. He huffed, patting it on the head, before he shooed it away with a smirk.

Rick let his gaze linger on the creature as it hopped and bucked for a bit, making its way to the tree where a cow was lurking, seemingly waiting for the little one. He had to smile when the cow turned around and looked at them, mooing as if it tried to say ‘thanks’. The animals stomped away, the little one jumping around happily, and Rick couldn’t stop a warm smile from spreading all over his face. He looked at Daryl, and the cowboy was wearing a small smile on his own. He stepped closer and tugged Rick in for a soft kiss, before they both went inside.

 

__________

 

Over the course of the next few weeks, Rick had been a frequent guest at Daryl’s farm. His job was as boring as usual, the case of the fence-cutter put on hold for the time being, and Rick felt awfully lonely in his own house. So, he started to visit Daryl more and more often. There wouldn’t be anything different about this visit, if not for Rick’s current mood.

He was… well, he didn’t _know_ what he was, really. Irritated with Lori? Probably. Angry? Yup, definitely. Miserable? There was that, too.

Rick clenched his jaw tightly and sped up on the beaten path leading to Daryl’s ranch, aware just how much dust the tyres were throwing behind his cruiser and not really caring. It was already dark, but the chances of meeting Daryl were more or less equal at every time of the day - there was always something to do on the ranch. Thank god Daryl was home once he got there, so Rick could seamlessly transfer himself from his car to his lover’s couch. Sitting there, drinking tea and listening to what new had happened on the ranch while he was away, Rick could feel himself calm down a bit. Right up until the precise moment Daryl asked _that_ question.

“Weren’t ya s’posed to be with yer boy tonight?” Daryl asked, taking a sip from his own mug and Rick clenched his teeth hard.   
“I was…” he mumbled. It was Saturday, after all, and it was the second weekend of the month. He should be with Carl, not getting comfy on Daryl’s couch. “Lori called… said they were going to see her parents this weekend.”   
“That’s what gotcha into that deathly mood?” Daryl asked, rising an eyebrow, leaning over to snatch his pack of cigarettes from the coffee table. Rick nodded.   
“Yeah… haven’t seen him for two months…” he said, noticing that Daryl fell quiet next to him. Rick risked a glance and what he saw made his heart flutter a bit, though he wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the incredulous look on Daryl’s face, or maybe it was the small sparkle of anger burning in his eyes.

“ _What?_ ” Daryl asked, mouth hanging open, his smoke hanging limply from his fingers. “I thought ya were spendin’ time with him” he eyed Rick.   
“No… One time it was a flu, and I got him two weeks after. But later... _Lori_ … she came up with different shit to stop me from seeing him. First it was another flu, then a broken ankle, then a very important test he had to study for… Now she absolutely fucking _needs to_ take him to his grandma, even though he _hates_ it” Rick trailed off, sighing deeply. There was a flicked of the lighter and the sound of the cigarette being lit, before Daryl inhaled loudly.   
“That’s not fair... she’s keeping ‘im from ya” he stated and Rick huffed out a humorless laugh.   
“ _No shit_ ” Rick leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and staring down at his hands. There was something so sad in his expression, that Daryl felt a pang of hurt deep in his own gut.

“Any chances ya’ll see ‘im on the next weekend?” He asked, but Rick shook his head miserably, both palms coming up to cover his face as he sighed deeply.   
“No way… Lori’s trying to do everything to separate me from him and I don’t even know _why_ ” he mumbled into his hands, but Daryl heard him nevertheless.   
“She knows ‘bout us?” Daryl had to ask, the feeling of hurt getting deeper and more potent with every millisecond Rick didn’t answer the question. And in that split second, Daryl dreaded the answer. If her stupid games were just to fuck with Rick, Daryl couldn’t really do anything about it. But if her behavior was a testament to them being together, he wouldn’t have any other choice but to step back. He couldn’t see Rick as miserable as this.

But, as soon as Rick processed the question, his head shot up, eyes focusing on Daryl.   
“ _No_ ” he said it with every last ounce of strength he possessed. The fire lighting up in Rick’s eyes told Daryl he feared the same thing Daryl did. The answer came as a huge relief.   
“Then what the _hell‘s_ wrong with ‘er?” Daryl gruffed out, getting a bit frustrated himself. Rick was a good father, he could tell, even if he had never seen him interact with his son. It wasn’t necessary. Rick was a good man, and he was a good father.

Over the past few weeks, Rick had started to open up even more. Daryl reckoned they both had gotten more comfortable with each other. And so, their morning talks, or the late-evening hushed conversations had many different topics. And one of them, returning very often, was Carl. Daryl never minded. He actually liked how Rick told him about his son, every story that fell from the sheriff’s lips was like a beautiful painting he wanted to hang in his room. He had never had a father like Rick, so caring and loving. His own father had been an angry, drunk dickhead, who had liked to lash out on his sons when his own life had gotten miserable. Rick was the total opposite. He liked to spend time with Carl, he liked to do stupid stuff with him, like going to the cinema only to buy the popcorn they had there. Daryl loved every single story about Carl, and he secretly couldn’t wait to meet the boy one day. With a father like Rick he couldn’t be a bad kid, right?

And now Rick’s wife wanted to keep him from _seeing his son?_ That was absolutely un-fucking-believable. Daryl felt rage rising in him like a tidal wave, but before he could let it crest and spill over, he took a look at Rick, and in an instant, he could feel his anger melting away, that warm feeling taking it’s place almost immediately.

Rick looked _devastated_ , and every fiber in Daryl’s body told him to draw this man closer to him and comfort him in any way possible. He was never good with words, but Daryl knew his body could talk for him, so he reached out tentatively and clasped one hand over Rick’s arm. He tugged gently, not to spook him, and in the next moment Rick was crawling to him on the couch and landing half in Daryl’s lap. Both of Rick’s arms wrapped tightly around Daryl’s chest, as he buried his face in the crook of Daryl’s neck. The cowboy held him, listening how Rick’s breathing hitched a bit, rubbing small circles on his back. Daryl started a small litany of all the sappy shit he could think of when Rick started to shiver and tremble, trying to help in any way he could.

Rick felt like a raw nerve, too exhausted after another fight with Lori that had gotten him nowhere, and too beaten up over his failure to even know what he should do with himself right in that moment. But there was Daryl, with his arms wrapped securely around him and the little murmur in his ear that somehow managed to quiet his shaking body, and Rick could swear he felt a lot like that skittish calf Daryl had been tending to the other day. Daryl's capable hands slowly melting the anger and frustration away, leaving only a warm fuzzy feeling in their wake, and Rick buried his face in Daryl's shirt, pressing against his broad chest as much as he could. This was safety and tenderness, and everything Rick needed right now, and he could feel himself relax into Daryl's caress.

“Come on” Daryl said after what felt like a small eternity, and Rick raised his head up to look at him. There was something soft in Daryl’s gaze, something that made Rick lean in and kiss him gently, just a chaste press of lips. When they broke apart, Daryl tugged Rick off of the coach and in the direction of his bedroom. Once inside, he pushed Rick on the bed and crawled in after him, not wasting any time in drawing a blanket over the both of them and wrapping Rick in a tight hug. They fell asleep like that, tangled together, listening to each other’s breathing.

In the morning, Rick woke up sooner than he had in a long time. Feeling well-rested and calm, he stretched lazily, re-wrapping himself around Daryl’s chest as soon as he was done with yawning. Daryl grumbled something under his nose and shifted, but didn’t wake, so Rick used the moment to marvel at his cowboy and their relationship, because that was what it was. No matter how much Rick tried not to fall for Daryl, he ended up deep in, anyway.

The thing was, Rick didn’t mind as much as he had thought he would. Being with Daryl was as soothing for him as it was exciting. And he had the unique quality of making Rick feel _at home_ , no matter if they were at his house or somewhere out on the ranch, riding the horses and observing the lurking cows. Hell, Rick had even become to _like_ those horned beasts. And he had gotten pretty good at riding Hornet, too. Unbidden, his thoughts started to wander in the direction of their next ride, his mind already bringing up pictures of Daryl riding Python like if he had been born to do it.

The man in question groaned softly, shifting under Rick, and in a second, Rick felt a hand threading softly through his hair. He opened his eyes and looked at Daryl.  
“Mornin’” Daryl gruffed with a small smirk and Rick couldn’t help himself. He leaned in and kissed the living hell out of him, smiling like a fool.


	7. Badlands

Over the breakfast, they decided to go for a longer ride on this day. Daryl wanted to take his weapon and check the perimeter for any biters, and Rick agreed to that plan eagerly. Who wouldn’t, when Daryl’s weapon of choice was his trusted crossbow, and the cowboy looked damn hot handling it?

They packed up for the night, just in case, Rick taking his issue colt with him, but leaving the police uniform at Daryl’s house. Wearing jeans and shirts, they both looked like old-school cowboys, especially when they donned their leather chaps, too. The only thing missing was Rick’s hat, but Daryl found him a spare one, cream-colored and so _goddamned western_ , Rick looked as if he had just stepped out from the silver screen.

Horses saddled and their supplies packed, they rode out, Daryl leading the way and Rick following just behind him, mostly for the spectacular views he got riding like this. He would be lying if he said that Daryl’s hips moving _like that,_ when he was sitting on Python, didn’t make his blood boil. And so, Rick tried to angle himself just right to have the perfect vantage point through the whole ride.

The views got even better with time, especially when Daryl jumped off of Python and mentioned for Rick to follow him silently. They left the horses under a tree and walked into high bushes growing nearby, Rick looking intently under his feet and Daryl with his gaze focused ahead. The heavy crossbow he was holding was making his arms work extra hard, and Rick almost tripped over a root when he stared a bit too longingly at them. It took all of his mental power not to get lost in the way Daryl’s muscles shifted and bulged, and Rick swore quietly when Daryl stopped abruptly and released a bolt into the thick bush ahead of them. The cowboy smirked at Rick over his shoulder and reached in-between the leaves, producing, to Rick’s utter surprise, a dead coyote. Rick watched, swallowing hard, how the limp body with Daryl’s bolt lodged deeply in its skull dangled from Daryl’s strong hand.

Daryl was a very dangerous man.   
  
And Rick liked it _very much_.

 

__________

 

By the time the evening fell, Daryl had caught two fat rabbits. He had smirked at Rick when he had been skinning them a few yards away from the place he had killed them, taking in Rick’s half-curious and half-disturbed expression. The curiosity had won, finally, and now they were both seated on a blanket next to a small fire, the rabbits halfway eaten already. Rick finished his portion with a satisfied hum, glancing at Daryl, marvelling at the cowboy slowly slurping the meat juice from his fingers.

There was something wild about Daryl on a regular day, but now, in the darkness, with his face half-lit by the campfire, he looked like he _belonged_ to the wilderness. Rick swallowed hard, wiping his hands on a towel Daryl was kind enough to pack and scooted closer, pressing himself to Daryl’s side. He watched as Daryl ate the last of his rabbit and wiped his hands on the same towel, before he turned to face Rick.

Daryl’s eyes glinted in the darkness, and his mouth quirked up in a small smile, that one which was reserved only for Rick, and the sheriff couldn’t do anything else but to dive in and kiss him senseless. Daryl groaned into the kiss, parting Rick’s lips with his tongue and quickly taking lead, turning the kiss even more passionate as his hands found Rick’s waist and started to slide under the shirt. He groaned at the heat radiating off of Rick’s bare skin, the sound swallowed by Rick’s mouth and echoed in his own chest.

Rick’s hands came up, tugging at the buttons of his shirt, undoing them impatiently to let Daryl’s hands roam free over the expanse of his back. Once it was off, Daryl took advantage of all the naked skin and started to kiss and lick every bit of Rick’s chest he could manage while his fingers rubbed and scratched along Rick’s back, making him arch and shiver. Rick’s hands took off Daryl’s hat and tangled in his hair, making Daryl growl when he tugged at it playfully. The cowboy looked up after a second and his breath caught in his throat with a small gasp. Rick was kneeling next to him, shirtless and panting, chest rising and falling heavily. The yellowish glow from the campfire next to them gave Rick an otherworldly appearance, and in this moment Daryl would swear he was sin incarnated.

And then Rick started to slowly undo his belt and the fastenings on his chaps and trousers, and Daryl was _lost_. He could only stare as Rick unbuckled and unzipped himself, each movement revealing more of his soft, delicious skin that Daryl wanted to taste so badly. And then Rick shifted clumsily from one leg to another as he tried to take off the clothes without getting up. It was uncoordinated and must have looked idiotic as hell, but for Daryl it was the best striptease he had ever seen. It was so good that, once Rick looked back at him, kneeling there naked as the day he was born, Daryl felt all his body alighting with fire. He started to frantically tear off his own clothes, wanting to feel Rick skin on skin, wanting to get as close to him as he could.

In no time at all they were both naked and kissing again, sitting on a blanket, Rick crawling over Daryl’s lap, his cowboy hat still present and basking half of his face in shadows. But Daryl didn’t mind it, not even a bit, when Rick pushed him back to lie down while he sat on Daryl’s lap, the weight of his body sending delicious little shivers through Daryl’s abdomen. Rick moved his hips experimentally, rubbing their lengths together in the process, and Daryl moaned softly. They were a long way from any civilization, but they were still outside, and it gave Daryl a tiny moment of feeling concerned, before Rick rolled his hips again and all of his concerns melted away. He looked up at Rick, seeing the sheriff biting his lip softly as he closed his eyes and concentrated on moving his hips in an even rhythm.

Rick’s beautiful face was still half-obscured in shadows, but his chest was illuminated by the fire, and Daryl couldn’t tear his eyes away from how it glistened with sweat. He sat up and licked a long stripe along Rick’s sternum, nibbling his way to his nipple, laving it with his tongue once he got to it. Rick groaned and gasped, hips stuttering over Daryl’s lap, and the next thing he knew, Rick was twisting away from him. Daryl wanted to protest, but Rick didn’t pull away, he just tried to twist around and reach his discarded trousers. Once he managed that, he started to quickly dig through his pockets, impatiently switching from one to another, until with a triumphant grin, he fished out a small sachet. Daryl cocked an eyebrow at him, but Rick just grinned harder and opened it, squirting the contents on his fingers and reaching behind himself.

Daryl stared at him, mesmerized, watching intently as Rick started to prepare himself. Daryl’s gaze flickered between Rick’s face, changing as his fingers worked, his straining muscles and his cock that seemed to pulse every now and then when Rick did something with his fingers. It didn’t take too much time, and Daryl was almost tempted to make it last a bit longer, especially with how beautiful Rick looked like this - panting, flushed, writhing on Daryl’s lap as he fucked himself with his own fingers. Soon, however, Rick deemed himself prepared enough, for he withdrew his hand and looked down at Daryl with a small, predatory smile that told Daryl he was in for a ride.

And, _god_ , what a ride it was… Rick started out slowly, impaling himself on Daryl’s cock inch after glorious inch, the tight heat enveloping his shaft making Daryl squeeze his eyes shut and dig his nails in Rick’s hips to stall him. But Rick just hissed and went on, provoking a quiet growl from Daryl.   
“ _Rick_ ” his voice was so low he could barely recognize it himself. Rick was driving him mad, straddling him like if Daryl was _his steed_ and he was the cowboy. It was way more arousing than Daryl had thought it could be, and he couldn’t help himself but grip Rick’s hips in warning. “Ain’t gonna last if ya don’t slow down” he gritted through clenched teeth, but Rick just smiled, _the fucker_ , and started to roll his hips as soon as he was fully seated.

Forth and back, to the sides, making little wicked _circles_ as if he was getting comfortable in the saddle… Driving Daryl completely fucking _mad_.

Daryl let his body fall down on the blanket beneath them. He brought his knees up behind Rick’s back, finding leverage as he thrust sharply up with his hips, catching Rick in the middle of another sensual circle. Rick froze, eyes going wide as his mouth opened on a moan.  
“Fuck” he mumbled, looking down at Daryl, biting his lip and starting to move again, this time vertically. His hips stuttered a bit at first, but with every lift, he got more and more in tune, and soon, Rick really looked like if he was riding a stallion. Daryl didn’t stay idle either, bucking up underneath him like a fucking rodeo horse, except he definitely didn’t try to throw his rider off of him.

That thought made Daryl grin and Rick frowned looking down at him, mouth open to let the sounds escape as they pleased.   
“What’s so funny?” He asked in a raspy voice, thighs working to lift him up time after time. Daryl grinned even more and looked him straight in the eyes.   
“ _Ride ‘em, cowboy_ ” he rasped out and let his hands travel over Rick’s thighs, palming the flexing muscles and enjoying how good they felt shifting under the skin. Rick groaned and picked up his pace slightly, a small smile spreading over his parted lips.   
“Yeee-haw” he stuttered out between moves, one hand going to his hat and tipping it playfully, but it was clear that he was too far gone to focus on his role.

Daryl saw it, too, and with one last thrust he sat up, wrapped both arms around Rick and flipped them around. Rick winced when his back connected with the ground and Daryl realized that he must have landed a bit off of the blanket.   
“Ouch” Rick complained with a frown, arching off of the ground to escape the twigs and rocks, and Daryl just shushed him, tightening his grip around Rick’s back.   
“Shhh, come ‘ere” he whispered, lifting Rick a bit and dragging him back on their blanket. The movement caused Daryl to slip out of him and Rick gave another small groan of protest. Daryl remedied it instantly, re-entering him with one sharp thrust of his hips, and had the pleasure of listening to Rick’s small, delighted moan. He picked up the pace immediately, hips rolling with the single minded intent of getting them both off, because _fuck_ , but he couldn’t wait to feel Rick falling apart under him.

Feeling Rick’s hands claw desperately at his back, his legs wrapped tightly around Daryl’s waist, and hearing all those little mewls spilling out of his mouth, Daryl knew that Rick was close. He lifted himself up to look at his lover, feeling his own orgasm approaching quickly at the sight that greeted him.

Rick had his eyes squeezed tightly shut, mouth slack, the cowboy hat had been knocked off of his head sometime when they changed the position and was now lying next to his head. His curls were damp and all over the place, some twigs and dead leaves caught in them, looking messy but somehow _artistic_ at the same time. All of this, put together with the truly ecstatic expression Rick was wearing, was enough to push Daryl over the edge. He moaned as his whole body tensed, hiding his face in Rick’s neck, half smothering a curse in the delicate skin he found there.   
“Fuck!” Daryl shook with the force of the pleasure washing over him, unable to stop his hips from jerking uncontrollably and pushing further into Rick as he exploded inside him.

And Rick only moaned in tandem with him, squeezing his muscles around Daryl’s length and driving him wild. He felt one of Daryl’s hands sneak between them, gripping his neglected cock, smearing the precome all over him before he started to move it in a frantic rhythm. All it took was a couple of tight strokes and Rick was coming, too, shouting his pleasure into the darkness around them. He squeezed around Daryl’s cock again, making him growl and hiss, the slowly softening length sensitive to the smallest twitch of Rick’s muscles.   
“Jesus…” Daryl whispered, barking out a small laugh, pulling his face away from Rick’s neck and looking down at him. “Yer really gonna kill me one day, _cowboy_ ” he smirked when Rick’s eyes widened at the new pet name. And then Rick was smiling and leaning up to kiss him, and Daryl’s cock slipped out of him and it made them both giggle like idiots, breaking the kiss halfway-through to snort in laughter.

It was nice, and it wasn’t even that cold, even if the fire was considerably smaller now, and Daryl was content to just stay like this, laying half over Rick, brushing through his hair and listening to the cicadas around them. But then Rick jolted with a quiet “fuck” and Daryl frowned, getting up. He squinted down at Rick, who reached out to his leg, contorting comically to scratch his ankle.   
“What’s up?”   
“ _Mosquitoes_ ” Rick grimaced and rubbed at his ankle. Daryl had to admit that a few of those little fuckers had flown over his head in the past hour or so, but he never felt any bite. They must have focused on Rick… Well, Daryl couldn’t really blame them, he knew how sweet Rick could be, after all…

 _Fuck. What was it with him and romantic shit all of a sudden_ , Daryl thought. He sat on the blanket and reached for their clothes, brushing away the sand and dirt where he could feel it, before he handed Rick his pants and shirt.   
“Put ‘em on, no reason for bloodletting” Daryl told him, throwing on his own clothes just in case. Once they were dressed again, Rick lay back on the blanket and tugged Daryl on top of him. They stayed like this till they both fell asleep, not really caring about how the fire beside them died out. It was a pretty warm night, or maybe it was their shared body heat, but neither seemed to mind sleeping under the stars like this.

 

__________

 

Rick woke up to a hand on his mouth and a small whisper of his name. He jolted awake, blinking rapidly in the darkness around him. The fire was long gone and Daryl was hovering over Rick.   
“Shh…” The cowboy instructed and waited for Rick’s nod, before he took his hand away. He moved a bit to the side, looking behind himself, and Rick followed his gaze. There, not far from the fence that was still clearly visible from their vantage point, a small light was flickering. Rick narrowed his eyes, looking back at his lover, but Daryl only shook his head to tell him to be quiet. He motioned for Rick to take his colt from the heap next to their blanket where it was still residing and to follow him. Snatching his revolver, Rick noticed that Daryl was already holding his crossbow.

They got up and slowly made their way to the fence, trying to be as quiet as possible. Daryl was leading, Rick following him with his colt ready to fire if needed. They hid behind an old fallen tree, peeking from behind it, watching curiously as the flickering light stopped right next to the fence. Daryl frowned, loading his crossbow silently, and Rick followed suit, checking the cylinder. The light stopped moving for a longer moment, and they both froze, observing. Rick could feel adrenaline flowing inside his body, the rush familiar and exciting, something he usually got only in the line of duty. It wasn’t really very different than what he was doing right now. The person sneaking behind the fence was probably the crazy son of a bitch who had been cutting Daryl and Carol’s fences for the past few months. Now, Rick and Daryl were here, armed and, Rick could swear, ready to do a lot to protect what’s theirs.

_He also tried not to think how he had just called Daryl’s farm ‘theirs’._

The light flickered again and rose, shining down on the fence, and Rick could clearly make out a set of hands and a pair of cutters. He looked at Daryl who nodded at him, eyes slitted and angry. Rick swallowed heavily, pointing his colt in the direction of the intruder, aiming low at the general place where his feet must be placed.   
“Hey, asshole!” Daryl shouted next to him and Rick froze. There was a clink of metal, a grunt, and next thing he knew, they were both ducking back behind the tree for cover.

One shot. Two shots. Three shots. Rick counted them all. When he got to seven, he whipped his head to the side, looking at Daryl. Bullets tore into the tree and Rick could hear it splintering behind their backs.  
“Automatic” Rick whispered, seeing Daryl nod, the moonlight falling on them just enough to see the small movement.   
“I know” Daryl whispered back, half turning around when the rain of bullets stopped for a moment. Rick turned around, too, aiming low again and shooting three shots in quick succession. A loud, barked out curse followed just when Rick ducked back again. He sensed a movement next to him and side-eyed Daryl. The cowboy started to crawl along the length of the tree, getting further away from Rick.

“Daryl!” Rick whispered, half panicked and half angry, afraid Daryl may get shot.   
“Shut up, stay ‘ere” was Daryl’s response as he crouched down at the other end of the tree. He peeked out from behind it, turning back to Rick. “Stay ‘ere, shoot at ‘im, I gotta plan”.   
“ _Daryl!_ ” Rick hissed, now definitely angry, already knowing what Daryl wanted to do. The man looked back at him with a crooked smile.   
“Don’t corner somethin’ meaner than ya, sheriff” he rasped and disappeared behind the bark. Rick swore, turned around and started to shoot his last three bullets at the guy behind the fence. He was aiming low, not trying to kill him, but he had to admit that the prospect of injuring this fucker looked very pleasant.

He finished off his bullets, scolding himself mentally for not bringing more, and hid back behind the tree. Another wave of shots followed and hit the tree behind which he was sitting and Rick was left hoping that Daryl had more luck than him. He was almost ready to start throwing rocks at the guy behind the fence, not really caring if they would even hit their target, when a pained wail broke his thoughts. It came from the same direction the shots had been fired, and even if everything pointed to Daryl being alright, Rick’s heart still skipped a few bits.

“Daryl!?” He shouted, not really able to hide his worry. It weaved itself into this one little word, and Rick had a hard time recognizing his own voice when he heard it.   
“I’m fine! Come out” Daryl shouted back and Rick let loose a breath he had been holding. He peeked out from behind the tree, seeing Daryl’s muscled figure standing about halfway between him and the fence.   
“You alright?” Rick asked, worry still present, as he walked to him, straining his eyes in the darkness to make sure all was well. Daryl just nodded at him, smirking.   
“Guess I got ‘im. Come on.”

They made it the fence, Daryl’s crossbow loaded once again, poised and ready to strike, while Rick stepped next to him, ready to jump the bastard with his bare fists if he tried anything else. As it turned out, neither was needed. The closer they got, the more obvious it became that their opponent was lying on the ground, writhing around and grunting in pain. Rick shot Daryl a look and nodded to the side, pointing out the place where the fence had been cut once again. The cutters were lying on the ground right under it, too. Daryl nodded, stepping to the man, still separated from them by the chain link, and aimed his crossbow at the man’s head.   
“Go on” Daryl prompted and Rick ducked into the hole, slipping through it and walking around to pick the flashlight from the ground. He stepped back a few steps as soon as he had snatched it up, pointing the beam at the man on the ground, kicking the gun lying next to his hand out of reach.

He nodded at Daryl and the cowboy followed him to the other side of the fence, aiming his crossbow again as soon as he came through. He took a closer look at the fallen man and swore.   
“Motherfuckin’ _Philip_ ” he spat and Rick’s eyebrows rose.   
“You know him?”   
“Yeah. He is the owner of the ranch a couple of miles north” Daryl nodded, explaining. “He offered to buy my ranch multiple times, Carol’s too. We weren’t interested.”   
“Alright, I’ll call my department and get someone ‘round here” Rick started to dig for his phone.   
“‘Kay.”   
“Daryl?” Rick asked, dialing the number, “where did you shoot him?”

But the cowboy smirked and took the flashlight from Rick’s hands, aiming it lower. Rick didn’t know whether he should be horrified or amused. Once the light shone on it, the bolt was pretty much hard to miss, sticking out of the man’s right ass cheek, wiggling a bit every time Philip tried to move. Rick snickered and Philip wailed miserably.   
“You asshole! You shot me! You fucking son of a bitch!” The man on the ground started to growl at them, but his growls were more pitiful than threatening. Rick decided to take mercy on him and bent down to take out the bolt, but Daryl’s hand stopped him.

“Wouldn’t do that if I were ya. May cause bleedin’” Rick nodded and walked a few paces away to let the station know about the situation and asking them to send paramedics. He gave them description as to where they currently were, knowing it would take some time for them to get there. He took a bandana Daryl had tucked in his backpocket and gingerly picked up the discarded weapon and put it behind his belt, trying not to smudge the guy’s fingerprints in the process. Then he walked back to Daryl, who was still aiming the crossbow at the fallen man.   
“Hey, he’s unarmed and not going anywhere” Rick whispered, placing one hand on Daryl’s arm, prompting him to lower the weapon. Daryl nodded and lowered it, watching as Philip looked at them, before he opened his mouth again and a spew of threats and curses left him on a rushed breath. Daryl, seemingly done with the guy, huffed out and walked a few steps away, still within reach if Philip tried to do anything. He just couldn’t listen to him, thinking on how it was all this guy’s fault that Carol and him would barely make it through the winter if they were still lucky.

He heard Rick’s even gait and turned around, watching as Rick walked up to him. He wanted to scold Rick for leaving Philip to himself, even if he was lying just a few yards away from them, but Rick only grinned at him.  
“He’s not going anywhere, can barely move. You got him good” he said as he placed his hands on his hips, looking at Daryl. Daryl smirked back, but his thoughts were still going around the issue of just how much had been ruined by this asshole. Had Daryl known that it was all his fault, he would have paid him a visit earlier. He turned around, not wanting to bother Rick with his sudden dark mood.

Suddenly, there were arms wrapping around his waist as Rick pressed himself to his back.   
“What are you thinking about?”   
“Just… this asshole is the reason why Carol an’ her girl are not doing so well right now…” He murmured, feeling Rick’s arms tighten around him, before Rick’s lips landed on his shoulder, hot even through the shirt he had on.   
“Look at it this way” Rick mumbled into the fabric. “At least we’ve met” he kissed Daryl’s shoulder again and the cowboy hummed in agreement. It was true, at least he had found Rick. He turned around and gave Rick a small kiss, just a quick press of lips, leaving the man smiling happily in the darkness around them.

“Holy shit, don’t even fucking tell me…” the voice came, and Rick turned around with an annoyed grunt, ready to tell Philip where exactly he could put his opinion on them, when Daryl sidestepped him, suddenly pissed off, fuming and striding in a few quick steps back to Philip. He loomed over the man threateningly and hissed at him in a voice so low and dangerous, Rick felt a shiver raking down his spine.   
“ _Shut yer mug, or I’ll give ya another bolt, this time to yer empty skull, ya fucker_ ” Daryl seethed out, shutting the man up effectively. Philip watched them with wide eyes, gaze flicking from Daryl to Rick, not really sure whether it was a warning or a promise, looking panicked when he realized that Rick was smiling down at him. For a moment, Rick felt bad for him, poor guy didn’t know that he was still smiling at Daryl and his antics, but another part of him still remembered that this very guy was responsible for almost shooting them a few minutes ago, so he let his smile stay firmly in place, not even bothering to stop Daryl from scaring him further.

It took a long time for the paramedics to finally get there, but, fortunately for Philip, his wound was just a literal pain in the ass. It turned out it wasn’t life-threatening and that he would be fine once recovered. Daryl still looked like if he wanted to place another bolt in the man’s ass, or maybe punch him, but Rick made sure nothing like that happened. They managed to clear the situation with the police, claiming self-defense when Philip started to whine about getting shot _outside_ someone’s property. Thank god, it was Martinez who came to see the scene and he quickly rebuffed Philip’s line of defense. The sun was already up by the time they managed to pack their shit and head back to Daryl’s house. Rick still had a day off, courtesy of solving a case that had been buggering the whole department for months now, and he very much wanted to spend it sleeping off the night.


	8. In the distance I can see the town where I was born

They fell into bed as soon as they stepped through the door to Daryl’s bedroom. The process of wriggling out of they clothes took them a lot more time than usually, but once they were naked and all cuddled up under the covers, Rick thought to hell with showers and to hell with long adventures out on the ranch. Right here was okay, _right here was ideal, in fact_ , warm and comfortable with Daryl’s body spooned up behind him, strong arms keeping him close as Daryl’s soft breath washed over the back of his neck. He let himself drift off into sleep.

 

__________

 

Rick blinked his eyes open just to see that it was already getting dark outside. He yawned, trying not to think how they managed to sleep through the whole day, putting it on the late-night shooting and that crazy bastard. Daryl had explained who he was on their way home. Apparently, the fucker had been calling himself The Governor, and acting like one, too. He wanted to rule everything and everyone, buying out their ranches and chasing everyone who didn’t want to take his deals out of the town. He had done that to the neighbouring village, and was now trying to impose himself on their little heaven, too. Rick was so grateful that they had managed to stop him yesterday. Even more so, that they both came out of it unscattered, even if the bullets had been flying left and right.

Rick shuddered, the images of his life without Daryl flickering through his mind briefly, and he pressed himself closer into the comforting weight at his back, listening to the quiet snore escaping the man sleeping peacefully behind him. Rick wanted to stay like this forever, even if he knew that it would probably end now. The case was solved, he had no more valid reasons to come here and hook up with Daryl. He should get back to his little house, back to his own life, and stop dreaming.

He winced at the thought of coming back to his empty house, of sleeping alone in his cold bed. He would gladly throw away his old life and just stay here with Daryl, come back from work to this old ranch, pass a few lurking cows on his way to the homestead… climb with Daryl into this bed every night and sleep peacefully. Maybe Carl would like it here? He could visit them, learn how to ride a horse…

“What’s with the thinkin’?” A gruffy, half-asleep voice asked behind him and Rick almost jumped, suddenly torn out of his thoughts. Daryl stretched and groaned contentedly, hands shifting where they were wrapped around Rick’s middle, a pair of lips attaching themselves to Rick’s shoulder blade in a sloppy kiss. Rick stilled, frozen in place, trying hard not to think just how much he would miss it soon. Daryl’s lips disappeared and the hands tugged on Rick, making him turn on his back as Daryl loomed over him with a frown.   
“What issit?” He asked, clearly still half-asleep, and Rick closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.   
“I don’t want it to end” he whispered with a sigh, barely recognizing his own voice. It sounded so miserable, not like him at all.

There was silence, a long pause that almost made Rick shiver, before finally, _finally_ , Daryl spoke.   
“Then stay” he said, voice clear and sure, and Rick swallowed hard and opened his eyes. Daryl was still frowning, but his eyes were open and laser sharp, not sleep-filled like a moment ago. This was a fully-awake Daryl, offering Rick to stay as if he was letting him drink his tea. As if had not been a big deal. Before Rick could say something stupid, thank god, Daryl spoke again.

“Stay with me, Rick” he leaned closer, brushing his lips over Rick’s, whispering along. “Stay with me and my lurking cows… in this old-ass house” he kissed him again, this time more passionately, sucking on Rick’s lip and making his head spin. _Daryl wanted him here_.

Daryl leaned back, watching Rick intently, the fire burning in his eyes telling Rick just how true his words were. Rick licked his lips and nodded slightly, watching as an honest to god smile spread over Daryl’s lips. Rick had seen it only a couple of times, Daryl was one to smirk rather than smile, and in this very moment, this smile directed at him made Rick melt into the soft mattress they were lying on.

“Okay” Rick whispered, tugging Daryl back down to kiss him fiercely, groaning when Daryl took the initiative and plunged into his mouth hungrily, licking into it as if he wanted to eat Rick whole.   
“Don’t know how it’ll work with the cattle as it is, but we’ll think of something” Daryl whispered into Rick’s neck once they broke apart for some much needed air. He started to mouth and suck on Rick’s collarbones, making him arch back and press his front to Daryl’s, moaning softly at every new bite.   
“Actually…” Rick cleared his throat to chase the raspiness away from his voice. “I’ve been thinkin’ about selling my house…” He felt Daryl still and pull away, watching Rick with a confused expression.

“Why?”   
“I hate that place. I fucking _hate it_ , Daryl. And it should give us enough money to buy a nice herd and maybe repair this old house fully. We could make it through the winter and start a good busin…” he never had a chance to finish that sentence, Daryl attacking him and breaking off his explanation halfway-through, kissing him senseless. The cowboy’s hands were everywhere, stroking along Rick’s sides and scraping at his ribs, rubbing over every sensitive part, and Rick found himself getting ridiculously aroused. He was hard and aching by the time Daryl was done with kissing him and started to slide down his body. Rick groaned and fisted his hands in the sheets at his sides, trying to keep his breathing even when he felt Daryl’s tongue on the tip of his cock.

And then Daryl was licking all over him, broad swipes along the shaft and small kitten-like licks on the head, and Rick just couldn’t help the noises that escaped him. He was a mess by the time Daryl took him into his mouth and started to suck, and it didn’t take long at all. He was shooting down Daryl’s throat, moaning like a whore, not caring how he sounded like. Daryl was with him, and he wanted him to stay, and it made Rick so insanely happy that he didn’t give a flying fuck about anything else.

The cowboy licked him clean and crawled up over Rick’s still shivering body, pressing him down into the mattress and grinding his hips into him, rubbing his length all over Rick’s hip. It was hot and instinctual, and when Daryl buried his head in Rick’s neck, Rick just grabbed Daryl’s ass and urged him on, feeling the sticky precome being smeared over his skin. Daryl groaned and moaned, each little sound falling right into Rick’s ear, prompting him to turn his head and kiss his man. Daryl responded eagerly, biting and nipping at Rick’s lip, sucking it in and pulling at it, playful even when his hips increased the speed. Soon, the pleasure took over him and he wasn’t able to focus on kissing Rick anymore, panting against his mouth instead, eyes closed as he tumbled over the edge.

Rick kept squeezing his ass, encouraging him to rut into Rick’s hip, wriggling slightly when Daryl’s body just tensed and jerked erratically. For a moment, Rick was surprised just how much he liked the mess of sweat and come they were now, Daryl still panting above him, his own body tingling wherever his lover’s skin was touching him. It was so simple and it felt so good, Rick thought he could just burst of happiness. This train of thoughts brought forth a mad giggle out of him and Daryl pulled away, looking down at him with narrowed eyes.   
“ _What?_ ” He asked, taking in Rick’s bright smile and his eyes crinkling with mirth.   
“Nothing” Rick leaned up and kissed him sweetly. “I’m just happy” to this, Daryl only grunted again, rolling off of him and landing beside Rick. It took them some time to calm their breathing and get down from their high. Once they did, Rick got up and tugged Daryl to the bathroom, filling the buckets with warm water and washing the both of them with Daryl’s fluffy washcloth.

He also decided that the first thing they would buy after he sells the house, would be a big and comfy shower, just so he could get inside with his man whenever he pleased, even after the summer ended.

 

__________

 

By the end of the next week, Rick had all his things moved into Daryl’s house. The transition had been simpler than he had expected, thanks to Daryl and his monster of a jeep. Rick’s house had been sold a month later, and Rick couldn’t stop smiling when he had signed the papers. It had been easy and quick, leaving him with enough cash to buy a whole new herd, even after they had put some of the money aside for the house renovation.

And now they were here, sitting on Daryl’s couch, getting drunk on whiskey because selling the house was a thing to be celebrated. The fact that their relationship had started on a very similar evening all those months ago wasn’t lost on Rick. He turned his head to look at Daryl, his cowboy, his _man_ , taking in his hollowed cheeks as he took a slow drag from his cigarette, then puffed out the smoke into a little cloud. Rick licked his lips and Daryl turned to face him, quirking an eyebrow.   
“Want one?” He asked, and Rick just nodded. He didn’t give Daryl the chance to reach for his cigarettes, however, but simply leaned over and plucked the one Daryl had, straight from his lips. Rick took a long drag, trying not to cough and exhaled, watching as Daryl’s eyes narrowed. He took two more drags and handed the cigarette back to Daryl, puffing out the smoke while Daryl finished it off.

The cowboy turned to him as soon as the cigarette was stubbed out in the ashtray. He looked at Rick for a longer moment, his gaze fiery enough to let Rick know what would happen in a few seconds. Sure enough, once the spell was broken, Daryl moved, crawling over the couch like a giant cat, all the time eating Rick up with his eyes, his stare dark and predatory. Rick tried not to squirm in place, anticipation warming his whole body, getting dangerously strong when Daryl straddled him and bent down to kiss him senseless. It was a long kiss, lingering on Rick’s lips once they broke apart, sending little shivers through his body. Rick’s skin was still tingling and his mouth was slack when Daryl pulled back, looking down at him with narrowed eyes. He was motionless for a longer moment, and Rick frowned, tongue running over his bottom lip, chasing the sensation of the kiss, unconsciously trying to make it stay longer. But Daryl just… sat there. Straddling Rick’s lap and watching him, those beautiful, slitted eyes focused on Rick’s face, slipping over it as if Daryl was trying to learn the contours by heart.

Just when Rick was about to ask what was wrong, Daryl spoke first. It was a tiny whisper, half-grunted out, followed by eyelids fluttering shut and Daryl’s head falling down.   
“Love ya” voice raspy, face tucked into Rick’s neck, nose pressing into his pulse point. Rick smiled, turning his head just so and mouthing at Daryl’s ear.   
“That’s good, you know? ‘Cause I love you, too” the shudder that whisper provoked was enough to let Rick know just how deep his words went. He wrapped his arms around Daryl’s shoulders, rubbing at them as he felt Daryl’s lips on his neck, just touching the skin gently, feeling the heartbeat, licking at it tentatively. And then, Daryl pulled away and _looked_ at Rick with his sparkling eyes and Rick’s whole body _jolted_. And they were at it again, kissing messily and trying not to tear open their clothes while taking them off.

Once their lower halves were divested of any scrap of material - that may have lingered behind after their hungry hands swiped over the flesh - they decided that the impatience won. Daryl climbed back on top of Rick, thighs slotting perfectly around Rick’s hips, and _god_ , but they must have looked ridiculous with shirts unbuttoned and hanging from their shoulders. Not that they cared. Plunging his hand between the couch cushions on Rick’s side, Daryl produced a small bottle and opened it quickly, smearing the contents on his fingers. Rick watched, licking his lips and trying not to squirm out of his skin, as Daryl sneaked his slick hand back behind his ass and started to get ready.

The sight was mesmerizing, Rick’s own perverted personal show, formed from sighs and grunts, framed in little twitches of Daryl’s features, made visible only to him, _for_ him. Unable to stay idle, Rick brought his palms up, laying them gently on Daryl’s stomach. He rubbed them up and down, dragging his fingertips over the soft skin that only now started to glisten with sweat. Rick wanted to lean up and taste it, inhale Daryl’s scent and warmth, to _bury_ himself inside it and never come out. But, Daryl was shifting slightly above him, twisting himself to reach properly, perched on his lap like a looming _predator_ , and Rick didn’t dare to disturb him. Instead, he focused his attention on Daryl’s muscles, clenching and unclenching, jumping where Rick’s hands hovered over them. He could feel the heat radiating off of Daryl’s skin, the slick drag of skin on skin, the rocking of Daryl’s hips that matched his own, feeding off on the fire burning inside the both of them.

A few minutes filled with passionate looks and meaningful sounds, and Daryl’s hand was back, eyes wide and dark as he lifted himself enough to take Rick in.   
“God…” Rick’s eyes fell shut as Daryl sank lower, tight muscles clenching around him, fighting the intrusion and welcoming him at the same time. His hands settled on Daryl’s hips, more to hold the cowboy than to help him with balance. Daryl didn’t need it, not with how daringly he rode all his steeds. And Rick was no different.

As soon as he was settled, Daryl took a deep breath and started to move. At first, it was just a gentle rocking and sinful twists of hips, no different than every time he was getting comfortable in a saddle. Rick clenched his jaw, trying not to buck up and finish the ride too quickly, opting instead to grab Daryl’s open shirt and tug him down for a kiss, muffling the groan that followed the slight change in position. Once he was satisfied with the thorough licking and sucking of Daryl’s mouth, Rick let go, watching in awe as Daryl straightened, body arching back, towering over Rick in all his glory.

And then Daryl started to really _move_ , and Rick quickly became incoherent. The pleasure washed over him in waves, the flood of sensation dictated by Daryl’s movements, fluid and natural, yet so dangerously consuming, Rick felt as if he was drifting out of space and time. Soon, the only thing that mattered in the whole world was sitting on him, wild and beautiful, wringing shocked gasps and passion-filled moans out of his own throat. And Rick let them flow freely, hands grabbing, _pawing_ , at every part of Daryl he could reach, kneading and rubbing, scratching his nails over the tender flesh just to soothe it with his fingertips afterwards.

Rick knew he wouldn’t last long, not with how Daryl looked on top of him. The moment Daryl’s fiery gaze focused back on Rick, he was done. He came before he even had the chance to move his hand and wrap it around Daryl’s length, the pleasure drowning him, cutting off his senses until all he could feel was _Daryl_. Rick came whimpering his name, a jumbled prayer that only the two of them heard, fingers digging into Daryl’s hips as his own rocked forward, body shaking and spasming. He barely had a moment to draw in a few rushed breaths, before there were lips on his own, kissing him urgently, feeding him with slow moans and deep growls.

Rick opened his eyes, focusing on the cowboy hovering over him, one hand braced next to Rick’s head, the other fisting his cock. Rick swallowed, throat dry and hoarse, and nodded at him.   
“Come here” he used his hands to tug Daryl higher, shifting lazily to make room for Daryl’s knee trapped between his hip and the back of the couch. Daryl blinked down at him, before a shuddering sigh left him and he started to move. Climbing up Rick’s body was sloppy and uncoordinated, and Daryl winced when Rick’s cock left him to land on Rick’s abdomen with a wet plop. But he shuffled closer to Rick’s mouth, knees tucked under Rick’s armpits, and the sheriff couldn’t be more happy with the position he was in.

He leaned forward, licking a broad stripe over Daryl’s cock, wetting the fingers that were still wrapped around the shaft, wrapping his lips around the head in a filthy kiss. Daryl’s hand started to move again, long, quick strokes, and Rick wanted to urge him forward, wanted to make him lean in a bit more and fuck his mouth, but Daryl ignored the hands pulling at his hips. He let his head fall back a bit, his hooded eyes positively boring holes in Rick, staring at him with such intensity that Rick felt a shiver thundering down his spine. He smiled and opened his mouth, seeing the fist on Daryl’s dick become a blur of motion, every pant laced with a soft moan. Daryl’s hips started to cant into the rhythm, and Rick moved one of his hands to his ass, fingers dancing over his slick opening, before he pushed two of them inside. He managed to angle them _just right_ on the first try, and Daryl _whined_.

He came with pulsing streaks all over Rick’s lips, some of it landing on his waiting tongue, some of it getting caught in his beard. Rick didn’t even flinch, he just kept rubbing on Daryl’s prostate, milking as much pleasure as he could, listening to Daryl’s uninhibited moans above him. Daryl’s hand slowed down to a stop and Rick paused his own fingers, withdrawing them gently, placing his hand back on Daryl’s hip and rubbing the skin softly. He didn’t care that he had his own come and lube smeared over Daryl’s skin and shirt, now damp with sweat and loosely hanging from his shoulders. It took them some time to calm down, endless moments filled with Daryl’s fingertips brushing through Rick’s beard, making a mess of the semen trapped between rough hair. At one point, he leaned in and flicked his tongue through it, making Rick huff out a small laugh.   
“You’re filthy” Rick grinned and Daryl smirked.   
“No more than ya” he scoffed good-naturedly and kissed Rick properly, making his toes curl into the couch.

The nights that followed this one were the most peaceful Rick had ever had, no matter if they had spent them in their bed, or on the couch out of laziness.

 

  
  
Epilogue

 

Rick smiled gently, watching Carl and Sophia making a snowman on their porch. It was a bit windy, but as far as Christmas mornings went, it was a beautiful day. He was still mesmerized at how quickly Carl had became friends with Sophia, especially that his son had only been there on the weekends. Rick wanted him to stay more, _Carl_ wanted to stay more… Hell, even Sophia and Carol wanted him to stay more. For the first time in a while, Rick started to think about fighting for his rights to his kid in the next court case. He knew that Carl hated living with Shane and Lori, always grumpily rattling about all the bad things to Daryl when he thought Rick couldn’t hear them. Rick didn’t mind, not at all. He was happy that his kid had found a friend in his partner.

The same partner, who was now wrapping his arms around Rick’s waist and kissing his shoulder. Rick leaned back, humming gently, feeling Daryl’s strong body pressing into him from behind.   
“Finish that” Daryl nodded over Rick’s shoulder at the cup of hot chocolate he was holding. “I have to show ya somethin’”.   
Rick quickly gulped down the rest, trying not to burn his tongue, and followed Daryl. They made their way outside and to the stables, pleasantly warm even for this time of the year.

At first Rick didn’t notice anything different, but when they stepped beside the last stall, he paused, eyes going wide.   
“Daryl… did you buy another horse?” He asked, incredulous, gazing at the snow-white animal standing in the far corner of the stall, looking at them with curious gaze. It was obviously young, smaller than Hornet and Python, lean but already showing some muscles.   
“I found ‘im _lurking_ nearby” Daryl huffed with a laugh and Rick turned to face him.   
“ _Why?_ We don’t need another horse” Rick pointed out, stupefied. That horse was too young to carry a grown-up anyway. Daryl shrugged but there was a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

“Yer kid’s gonna need one, _sheriff_ ” he teased playfully, and Rick could feel his thoughts halting to a screeching stop.   
“Carl?”   
“Yup. I know ya’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout having him live ‘ere. Figured he could use a horse” Daryl said matter-of-factly and Rick didn’t know whether he wanted to stand there in awe at just how accurately his _cowboy_ could read his mind, or if he should just press him against the nearest stall and kiss the hell out of him. As it turned out, Daryl made the choice for him. He grabbed Rick by his collar and smashed their lips together, earning himself a long, drawn-out moan from Rick.

“Now listen to me, an’ listen _close_ ” Daryl whispered against his lips once they broke off for a few gasps of air. “I want him here. Carl’s yer kid, and one day, he may be mine” Rick opened his mouth to tell him that he already was, but Daryl shushed him with a stare. “I wantcha to be happy, and I want our family to be happy. I am not a relationship material, and my daddy was shitty, but I wanna try, Rick…”   
Rick smiled gently, making Daryl’s eyes narrow for a second, before he relaxed against Rick’s chest.

“What do ya say, sheriff?” Daryl husked out.  
“Let’s do it, cowboy” Rick grinned and pressed his mouth to Daryl’s again. A loud _eeeeeeewwwww_ came from the doorway and they both turned, apologies forming on Rick’s lips, ready to explain to Carl what was going on, when he froze.

Carl was standing there, Sophia in tow, looking at them with the widest grins Rick had ever seen on their faces. They turned around and started to whisper something, before they raced to the house, getting back to their abandoned snowman. Rick looked back at Daryl and laughed at his expression.   
“I guess that means he will want to stay, too” Rick took Daryl’s hand and dragged him back to _their_ home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the ride and I hope you enjoyed it! Till the next time! <3


End file.
